Kira: Prince of Orb
by Big-Babidi
Summary: A switch between Kira and Cagalli. What if Kira ended up with Uzumi and Cagalli was raised by the Yamatos? M/F M/M F/F
1. Heliopolis: Time For a Switcheroo

"Is this really the best decision, Lord Uzumi?"

Honestly, he didn't know.

So many factors and variables ensured no absolute answer.

Seated behind his desk, Uzumi Nara Athha looked down at the small bundle in his arms. The brunette baby slept peacefully. A state the representative enjoyed seeing upon the boy, unaware of the dangers outside, of the conflict his existence created.

Taking his gaze off the sleeping baby, he returned his focus on the two civilians. A woman with purple hair that stopped at the shoulders, her left arm wrapped in a cast. The other a man with short black hair slicked back and similar to Uzumi, he too was holding a small baby. An almost total opposite of the boy in more than just her blond hair, she was wide awake, her hazel eyes curiously darting around the office.

No, that wasn't quite right.

They weren't just civilians.

To him, they were heroes.

He read the reports. How a man named Haruma Yamato avoided detection during an attack by Blue Cosmos, the organization's target clutched in his grasp. Not just him either. In addition, how a woman known as Caridad Yamato received an injury to her arm thanks to the shrapnel of a nearby explosion from another attack, but continued on while carrying the two children.

They had no military experience. No training in any form of defense. The married couple knew nothing of combat, but didn't let such minuscule details interfere with their determination to save the children. Uzumi held their actions in the highest regard.

All three of them knew the cause for Blue Cosmos' extreme desperation to eliminate the child. Caridad had been well aware of her sister and brother-in-law's research, revealing information about the Ultimate Coordinator project to Uzumi. He readily agreed to her request in keeping such secrets just that… _secret_.

Of the twins, the girl received no genetic enhancements, making her no different than the average Natural.

The boy was a whole different story.

Involved in a secret experiment, unlike other Coordinators his birth was done outside of the mother's womb, the one obstacle previously blocking the idea of perfect manipulation in genetics. While he understood the rationale behind such improvements, Uzumi felt sickened by the head scientist, who forced his wife to use their own child for the project, whose resisting pleas fell on deaf ears.

Unfortunately, word of the project reached the ears of Blue Cosmos and they had no intention of ignoring such a threatening discovery. Suffering wave after wave of attacks towards the child, the Yamato family realized they couldn't protect him anymore. They only had one option: seek refuge with Orb's security, who could then decide the next course of action.

After weeks of deliberation, the most concrete idea was separating the children. Blue Cosmos was not an organization to be taken lightly. Asking two people with no training to constantly defend themselves against the ruthless hate group was suicide. He didn't like taking a child away from their family, but he saw no other viable alternatives.

When push came to shove, he asked himself one question.

Would the boy's safety reach the highest in the custody of the Yamato family or around the military of Orb?

The answer made up his mind.

He could only hope for the best.

"I believe it is. I mean no offense, but a child with an origin like Kira's won't be safe without the appropriate protection. Considering the circumstances, keeping him under my custody would be the safest course of action."

Caridad opened her mouth, only to close it immediately afterwards. She was well aware of her tendency to take matters a bit… overboard when children's safety was on the line.

"We understand, Lord Uzumi," Haruma spoke up, agreeing with the Representative, "and with all due respect, it may be better if we never meet again, for the children's sake."

Uzumi nodded. "Very well. Please take care."

Both husband and wife bowed slightly towards the man, then heading out the door with their daughter.

With any luck, the Yamatos would return to living peacefully.

Looking down once again, Uzumi smiled at the child, "From this day forth, your name will be Kira Nara Athha."

**

* * *

**

**Disclaimer  
**I don't own any of the Cosmic Era Gundam series or any other works referenced in the story. I understand that's a lot to take in. It's ok, just breathe. Even crazier, not a single penny was made from this. Le gasp!

**Note(s)**  
There will be male/male, male/female and female/female in this fic.

* * *

Kira: Prince of Orb

Heliopolis

Chapter 1: Time for a Switcheroo

By Big-Babidi

* * *

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

Groaning, he stuck his arm out from under the covers, fully intending to stop the rage-inducing noise. Still entangled in the arms of another, the awakened prince of Orb blindly reached towards his alarm clock with little care of anything in his path. His nightstand housing the clock had a number of other items between it and the teenager. As a result, fifteen year old Kira Nara Athha knocked over various papers, a half-filled can of soda, a remote for his television and various pieces of change all plummeted to the soft carpet below in a vain attempt to stop the racket.

Beep. Beep.

Silence.

Kira's eyes snapped open. He didn't press the button. The insistent sound's quick halt woke him more efficiently than the alarm's intended process. Looking to the side, he saw and felt Vanfeldt continue holding him, so it wasn't him. Pushing the blankets aside, he saw a girl's finger pressed down on his alarm clock. Wearing the usual black maid uniform with a white apron, Setona Winters closed her green eyes and smiled brightly, pink hair falling to her back and kept out of her face with a ribbon of the same color but a lighter shade. When Uzumi Nara Athha decided on someone to support Kira, he'd chosen her without hesitation. With experience in cooking and cleaning and an unusually strong political intellect made her the ideal candidate, having skills that aid the prince in addition to being a constant companion around the same age.

"Rise and shine Master Kira!" Her smile waned for but a moment upon realizing the other male in bed, in addition to their overall lack of clothing.

"Ugh! Setona!" Kira groaned, "Do I really have to get up so early? Just give us another half hour and combined we'll be as strong as an ox on steroids."

The pink haired maid didn't bat an eyelash to his attitude. Same old prince.

"Heh. And good morning to you too." Came the sarcastic voice from the other person in Kira's bed, his blue eyes staring back at him. Vanfeldt Ria Lindsay brushed his shoulder length blond hair out of his face before smirking.

"Oh. Sorry." The prince sheepishly replied. He hadn't meant to forget about him. Swiftly, he moved his head down towards Vanfeldt, the other male eagerly meeting his lips for a quick kiss. "Good morning."

"Better." But the fun didn't stop there. Having Kira's attention, Vanfeldt sat up and relocked his lips with the prince's open inviting mouth.

Then again.

And again.

Setona cleared her throat. Loudly. Despite being employed as Prince Kira Nara Athha's personal maid for nearly two years, she never enjoyed viewing his romantic intimacy with others. Especially not with _him_.

Nervously chuckling, Kira separated from Vanfeldt and refocused his attention to Setona. "Oh alright, what's so important you need-" Kira paused, "Whoops. I'm sorry about that, Setona." When Setona tilted her head in confusion –_'looking absolutely adorable, Kira thought to himself'_– he gestured downwards with his eyes. The various objects he knocked over all resided near the maid. The papers and remote and change were no problem, but now the leftover pop had spread itself among small bare feet and beautifully polished toenails. Preferring carpet over tile, Kira applied the Japanese custom of removing one's shoes before anyone entered his room.

"Oh that's alright!" She beamed.

At her forgiving smile, he grinned cheekily, "Thanks. I could however, take responsibility and lick it clean for you."

She tried scrunching her face in disgust, failing to hide the blush almost covering her entire face. "Prince!" She whined, "that's so awful."

Vanfeldt sighed, not at all surprised by the prince hitting on his own maid so early in the morning.

Kira waved a finger at the blond, "Van, don't be the towel that doesn't dry people. I've got enough tongue to go around."

He scoffed, "Oh please. Like I'd worry about _that_."

Chuckling, Kira and Vanfeldt began dressing in a relaxed silence. Setona used this opportunity to get down to business.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Both of you have an appointment with Chief Simmons," She raised a finger to the side of her lip and looked to the side in concentration, "something about mobile suits and OS configuration," her beaming smile returned full force, "I didn't really get it."

Purple slacks on, Kira reached for the yellow shirt on the floor. "What do you mean?" He patted an unoccupied space in the bed for Setona. She complied, sitting down on the mess of tangled blankets. Her perfume's arousing scent didn't go unnoticed.

"I get that we have mobile suits now, but I don't understand what you _do_ in there." Without thinking, Setona made herself at home, leaning back, her elbows resting on Kira's pillow and legs bent, bare toes pressing the comforter inches from his leg.

Smile getting just a little wider, Kira refrained from commenting on the action, "Ever since someone really awesome," she giggled at his boasting, "made our OS compatible for Naturals, we've been working our little behinds off making sure the machines are installed with 'em and Naturals like Vanny over there," he gestured to the now fully dressed and scowling blond while enjoying his maid's laughter, "test pilot to make sure they're workin' right. Obviously, during this process, we sometimes munch on little honey biscuits, braid each others' hair and watch ancient American movies like Mary Poppins." He paused for her to settle down, finding his blatant stupidity hilarious. One of Setona's most enduring traits. Oftentimes, those around him groaned at his idea of humor.

The instant she calmed he took action. He placed two fingers on the top of her foot, gently sliding starting from her toes to below her knees, slowly and soothingly. Setona shivered in delight and exhaled deeply.

"I gotta better idea. You go ahead Van. We've got epic serious business to take care of first," He kept his eyes locked onto Setona's, taking note of her flirtatious smile while grasping her ankles and gently placing them on his lap, "Oh, and make sure the door is _shut_."

Vanfeldt rolled his eyes and shook his head before leaving the room, mumbling all the while.

* * *

Kira entered one of the observation chambers with a hand on his mouth, yawning.

"Where have you been?" Arms crossed, chief engineer Erica Simmons did her best to look intimidating.

Those unfamiliar with the prince figured his appearance only meant he'd slept late and hurried to the meeting. His programming skills and hours spent in Morgenroete were no secret, so many could assume his unkempt hair and unbuttoned, wrinkled shirt represented a night he spent working on various configurations while abandoning slumber.

Those familiar with Kira knew better.

"Funny thing, on my way over when I noticed Myrna had fallen over and broken her hip. With the safety of others consuming my mind, I rushed her to the hospital." He wiped imaginary sweat from his brow, "Thankfully, I made it just in time before things got ugly. So, in conclusion: I'm sorry for the late part, but shouldn't I get a medal? Or perhaps about a big pretzel? One dipped in cheese would be nice."

She pinched her nose, "That's full of so much crap I don't know where to begin. Anyway, where's your maid? I sent her to pick you up over an hour ago!"

He blinked, "Don't blame Setona. It wasn't her fault."

Eye twitching, Erica resisted the urge to strangle him, "I wasn't going to. The only person who makes you late is yourself."

At that point, Kira had already ignored her comment, walking around the room and exchanging pleasantries with the other engineers and technicians. While most appeared disturbed, a few laughed at his jokes.

"Oh golly Prince! That's a good one! Hahahaha!" Hunched over, a Morgenroete engineer repeatedly slapped her knee in laughter, having a grand time from an incomplete joke. _'Really Yoon? It hasn't even got funny yet.'_ Kira thought, his expression tight-lipped. Throwing her head back revealing a face full of freckles and messy brown hair, Yoon Sefan's cackling continued, sounding like a human and hyena fusion. Kira tried waiting for the clumsy, kooky lady to finish before slowly backing off, walking away and moving on with his life. _'If there's one person here I'm confident would fail a random drug test…'_ he left the obvious trail of thought incomplete.

Eventually, he approached the large panel of glass separating them from the testing mobile suits. The model that seemingly appeared overnight, a trio of M-1 Astray mobile suits moved around the area, practicing various cardiovascular exercises. He quickly noticed one machine performed far more sluggishly than the rest. Finally, _finally_ he returned his attention to the senior engineer, noting her miniature scowl had grown tremendously. "So what's on the menu today, jefa?" He asked, proud of his crappy Spanglish.

Mentally counting to ten, Erica stuffed her hands in her pockets and took a deep breath. She'd recently gotten a haircut, ripping it out would be counterproductive. "There's a slight problem with the OS for one of the mobile suits. Sure, I could've taken a look at it myself but silly me, I figured you'd want to deal with it since OS configuration is your specialty."

The prince nodded, "Indeed. You are quite silly."

'_Happy thoughts. Happy thoughts. Remember my wedding. Remember Ryuta's first step. Remember what Kira was like before his breakdown.'_ She chanted mentally. Before Erica's mugshot appeared on the front page of the paper tomorrow, Kira looked out the window again, "So who's piloting the mecha tortoise?"

"Your fiancé." Erica couldn't hide the smirk from her face. Approaching the console nearby the window she pressed a button to establish communications, "Your mechanic's on the way."

All traces of humor immediately left the prince. "Really Erica? Really? I think Palpatine just called and said you could keep his throne."

"I have no idea what that even means," She replied, positively beaming. The power of payback gave her strength. "You'd better hurry along now. You're beloved's waiting."

"FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF-"

On the other side, the fiancé cut off communication from her end.

* * *

Upon reentering the chamber on the opposite end, Kira noticed the mobile suits had each taken kneeling positions, the cockpits wide open and each pilot exited the machine, standing on even level. To his left, Vanfeldt Ria Lindsay gripped his M-1's leg, internally debating whether to feel annoyance or amusement. A mixture of the two won the battle. To his right stood blue-haired bespectacled test pilot Juri Wu Nien staring nervously at the prince with her hands behind her back. She'd no desire to view the inevitable argument, and only her ongoing shift prevented her from running out the door.

Another female stood at his destination. A woman with long, black hair and orange eyes and pale skin gazed at the prince with her head held high. She wore a luxurious purple jacket over a fancy blue shirt and after their engagement, a purple skirt replaced long pants of the same color. An already tall woman, a pair of extra long high heels housed her feet, an action Kira suspected was made to showcase their height difference to the world even further, reinforcing the point of her being an adult while he still a boy. Altogether an absolutely gorgeous woman, but as far as Kira concerned her beauty was only skin deep.

"Ya know, I'm thinking about leaving this room and walking back in, just to see the great Rondo Mina Sahaku in need of my skills a second time." If he grinned any harder, Kira would lose his face.

Mina sighed, appearing none too pleased about sharing oxygen with her betrothed, "Yes. The first and last time I require a child's help. Drink in this victory to your heart's content. It'll never happen again."

"And to think you spent so much time waiting faithfully for me. I'm touched, really."

"And to think you spent so much time with others," her eyes flickered to Vanfeldt for a split second, who averted his own, having no intention of crossing a noble family member, "being completely _unfaithful_ to me. As mature as ever, your highness. _I'm_ touched." Eyes closed, she placed her hand on her heart.

Mirth fading quickly, Kira took a deep breath. Debating with Mina usually resulted in failure. Best to get on with it. "Alright, Mina, what are you doing here anyway? Last I checked, Mayura should be in that mobile suit, not you."

She snorted, "That commoner managed to damage one of our precious mobile suits. She won't be coming back to work for at least a week. Be grateful someone who knows how to operate this technology was available this morning."

Juri subconsciously tightened her fist, but otherwise remained silent. She valued her job far too much to challenge a member of the most aggressive noble family in any way. _'At least Kira can argue with her.'_ All smiles in public. All scowls in private. Most people who watched the couple interact without a nearby camera tended to sum up their relationship in those two sentences.

"Mina dear," he earned a hard glare from the lady in question, "if you wanted to see me that badly, you could've just asked. Taking out your anger on Mayura is just plain mean." Before her witty retort left her mouth, Kira raised a hand, "But anyway, enough of how bad you secretly want me. What do you think of these machines?"

One long, deep breath later, the black-haired woman could safely answer, "It's both fast and strong," a smirk formed, "the OS has a long way to go however, as its creator is clearly an unstable child."

Kira rolled his eyes, and for once didn't retaliate, "So how's it fare against the competition?"

"The suits in Heliop-" she froze momentarily, then quickly cleared her thought, "My apologies. I'd lost my train of thought. In any case, this mobile suit far surpasses the ZAFT Ginn," pausing, she raised an eyebrow, "but you already knew that."

"Ya know, you could've just said you didn't know," Kira narrowed his eyes. _'What the hell was that?' _Mina's odd slipup didn't go unnoticed. He'd figure it out later. A mobile suit needed his aid. "I know you want to impress me, but there are other ways of doing so."

Mina shook her head, "I tire of your blatant stupidity. Do your job and there won't be any problems. Now if you'll excuse me, I've no interest in dealing with anymore fools." In a heartbeat, she left the room, the loud echo of her clicking high heels reverberating long after she left their line of sight.

As Kira began fixing the problem, Valfeldt and Juri hurried to his side –the former getting a kiss and the latter a high five– and began conversing about the recent verbal exchange.

* * *

"Today's date is January 22, Cosmic Era 71. I'm Dennis Kemp with the afternoon news-"

'_I already watched the news. Sorry Dennis.'_

Sitting on his bed, Kira held his TV remote while channel-surfing. Purple suit back on a hanger, he wore clothing of more comfort, a white t-shirt and jean shorts. The humming at his side showed he wasn't alone, as Setona –who'd since cleaned herself up, preventing the spread of saliva– slowly but merrily dusted his room's entirety.

Click.

"Having trouble finding a stable job to support your loved ones and/or yourself? I understand your pain, and it's through this understanding that I've decided to offer my services to you. Hello, I'm Gilbert Durandal, coming to you with the highly acclaimed, successful non-profit program of getting you the career you're guaranteed to excel at for the rest of your life. Through a fast, no-hassle, perfectly safe and absolutely _free_ scan of your genes, we can uncover-"

'_There's an old commercial. Hard to believe that's been going strong for so long. Mr. Durandal's a great guy.'_

Click.

"Rukia? Orihime? I must have them BOTH!"

'_Hey, that's the movie we watched the other night. I'm kinda surprised Ancient Anime is showing it again.' _He glanced towards his maid and after a few seconds diverted his eyes up to meet her own, greeted by her usual beaming smile. "Remember what _we_ did at this scene?" he asked playfully, grinning at her resulting blush, "Until then, I didn't think the human body could bend like that." Laughing, he returned his attention to the television, allowing his embarrassed maid to regain her composure.

Click.

"ThunderCats! Hoooooo!"

'_Now that's what I'm talkin' about. Yes!'_

The prince of Orb spent the next half hour in a magic world of swords, cat-fighters, epic music and undisputed pure awesome. Setona sat closely beside him halfway through for a short break. His goofy grin never left his face.

"Coming up next on Ancient American: Mortal Kombat Annihila-"

'_Er…yeeeaaahh-__no__!'_

Click.

With the television off, Kira fell backwards, his head perfectly landing on the pillow at the front of his bed. He sighed softly at the comforting touch. Fixing the M-1 had been easy, but it still deserved a lengthy break. Adding to his relaxation, an arm snaked towards his nightstand for a candy bar he bought the night before. When his hand touched open paper, the teenager lightly frowned. He had forgotten to eat it after waking. Kira usually tried having solid food in the mornings, but whenever he found himself running late to assist with the software, a breakfast of chocolate and peanut butter was not an uncommon occurrence.

"Master Kira," She turned around, a frown on her normally sunny face, "If you're hungry, don't hesitate to ask me for food. I'm more than happy to fix something for you."

Eyes widening slightly, Kira blinked, "Oh yeah. I forget about your master chef skills." Unwrapping the treat, he took a bite. "We should host a cooking battle sometime. That'd be pretty spectacular." Swallowing the candy, he took another look at it before scrunching his face in disgust, "Yeah, why don't you go ahead and make something. Anything's fine really. As long as it sends my taste buds on a fantastic journey of conquest and self-discovery, I don't care if you come back with sautéed eiwok."

Her face lit up with joy. "Sure!" She nodded, leaving the room with such haste she nearly forgot to put on her shoes.

His hunger and desire for delicious food made from experienced, sexy hands put Kira in a position most despised.

By himself.

When alone, unwanted thoughts flowed through his mind. When alone, he thought of the future or much worse, when alone he thought of the past. Of childhood and expectations. Of politics and failures. Of arranged marriages and feuding families and annoying ceremonies. Of an consistent stream of disappointment.

Kira reached for another item on the nightstand, his laptop.

"Maybe I'll see if someone cool wants to chat online." He needed occupation. Fast.

Miniature computer opened, he noticed an alert from his favorite chat program. Apparently, someone wished to speak with him. Checking the username DontNeedAngerMgmt, he learned the other person had recently logged in as well.

'_Talk about epic timing,' _he thought, activating the chat program. On the other side of the screen, a black haired, red-eyed kid around the age of thirteen wearing a red t-shirt and baggy jeans quickly noticed he'd established connection to his friend's laptop.

Kira immediately spoke before he could even say hi.

"First things first Shinn, did you watch _ThunderCats_? Do note that your answer decides if this conversation goes on any further."

"Really Kira? _Really_?" Following a few seconds of silence, he could hear Shinn Asuka's sigh from the other end, "Fine. Yes and no. I was trying to do some homework-"

"Nerrrrd!" Kira shouted.

Unsurprisingly, it went completely ignored, "-but Mayu wanted to watch TV and I didn't feel like getting up. Anyway, I thought it was pretty good. She thought it was, in her own words, super awesomely awesome."

"And you've once again reminded me why your sister is so much cooler than you." Kira stated calmly, as if he was simply explaining a basic fact of life.

Shinn's expression turned hard, "Now don't get any ideas. Prince or not, I can still bitch-slap you all the way from here to PLANT if you ever hit on her."

"Oh Shinny McShinshin, don't be a half-empty bottle of fat free ranch. We've been over this at least like two thousand eight hundred and seventy one times already. Mayu is way too young for me. You on the other hand," he smiled flirtatiously, repeatedly raising both of his eyebrows, "the jury's still out on that one."

"I'll stick to girls, thanks. Case closed."

Kira shrugged, "Your loss. Seriously."

"_Anyway_," Shinn was eager to change the subject, "I wanted to ask you about something homework related."

Smirking, Kira rested his cheek on his palm, "Oh really? Well this is a new development. Nice to see you're asking for something original."

"I'm serious."

"So am I." He decided his friend had had enough teasing for a minute or two, "Kato again?" One of the professors at Heliopolis' technical college had a penchant for assigning Shinn additional assignments.

"You know it. Me and a couple others get this honor all the time. It fuckin' blows."

"So what am I lookin' at this time?" Kira asked, knowing the drill.

"It's the coding for… something," he shrugged, "I haven't figured that part out yet. Here I'll show it to you." He raised a small datapad, its contents visible to Kira through the screen.

The prince froze.

He recognized this code. No, not just that. Shinn's other homework had always been familiar. He'd been shown analysis's for joint movement of small household robots, the programming for certain household appliances and the operating system for the miniature silly HARO bot typically beside Coordinator pop idol Lacus Clyne to name a few.

But this type of program analysis? He'd seen it before, recently in fact.

'_Like in the M1 I just operated this morning,'_ he thought bitterly, as dangerous implications flashed through his mind at an alarming rate. Now that he thought of it, the M1 Astray had been shrouded in secret. Even he knew little of its origin. Why would parts –even something as minor as its software- end up in the hands of a thirteen year old civilian? What did Professor Kato hope to gain with Shinn working under the radar and under the guise of additional schoolwork he needed to pass his class? Before the Asuka family moved to Heliopolis, Kira had given his friend a significant amount of pointers and advice on programming when Shinn mentioned a slight, kind of sort of interest in the subject. Considering conversations between Kira and Kato in the past centered on mobile suits, the prince of Orb had an awful feeling about this revelation.

"Now, you're absolutely sure it's Professor Kato and only Kato that gave you this assignment?" Kira asked a second time, wanting no chance for misunderstandings.

Shinn nodded again, his confusion growing by his friend's suddenly serious expression, "Uh, yeah. He keeps shoving this crap on me right after I get a second to breathe and saying I need it to graduate and be ahead of everyone else or some shit like that. He actually gave me a whole week to finish this one which is more than usual, but it's still annoying as Hell."

Closing his eyes, Kira sighed. The possibility of someone above Kato pulling strings still stood, but at least no one else approached Shinn directly.

The sound of a loud ring came from Shinn's side of the conversation. The black-haired teen looked to the right, "Oh, they're here already?" At Kira's questioning gaze, he continued, "Now that I finally have a day to chill, Jessica and Misha wanted me to hang out with 'em and some of their friends today. We're swinging by Flay's first."

"Oh?" From bits and pieces he'd learned from Shinn about his classmates, Kira was under the impression the Allster girl would be far from okay with that. "I thought she was a Coordinata hata."

Rubbing the back of his hand, Shinn smiled nervously, "Well, she didn't like me much once she found out, but I think she's comin' around. The other day, she asked for my help studying up for a test."

"Oh _really_?" The subject of Kato's mysterious intentions temporarily went to the back burner as Kira's lips curved upwards, a mischievous, teasing smirk, "I can't believe what I'm hearing. Shinn Asuka _studying alone_ with an engaged woman?" The prince laughed out loud, "If Mina heard that, she'd really hate you!"

Shinn's face immediately scrunched in disgust, "Ugh, can we not mention that annoying gorilla and her 'commoners' bullshit? Besides, even if something like that happened with Flay, her fiancé would ki-, well on second thought," He placed a hand on his chin, gazing upwards as though in deep thought about Sai Argyle's fighting prowess, "no, I'd probably kick his ass, but it'd still be ugly."

Both boys laughed.

"Oh Master Kira! I'm back!" Closing the door behind her, Setona carried a tray of scalding hot shrimp scampi on a plate, flavored with exquisite sauces and seasoning from around the globe. She set the delicacy on the nightstand and turned to leave, but the prince wasn't having it.

"Thank you Setona. Oh yeah," Grabbing her hand with his own, he gently pulled her down to his side. She yelped, landing atop of her master. He glanced back to Shinn, "You know something that really annoys Mina? This." Arms around his maid, he engulfed her mouth in a deep kiss, missing out on Shinn's facepalm and the sound of an opening door. When the pair refocused their attention to the screen, they quickly noticed Shinn was no longer alone, now accompanied by young Mayu Asuka and two others. Of the girls, one had short black hair and eyes while the other was a brunette in pigtails wearing a formal shirt with a tie. Luckily, Shinn's body covered the screen, preventing the others from watching the lip-locking session of master and maid.

"Hey you two! There's someone I want to you to meet before we go." Shinn gestured for his friends while Mayu tried to look over their shoulders.

"How do ya do there ladies? I'm the prince of Orb, Kira Nara Athha," he greeted with his most charming smile, "and this," gesturing to Setona, "is my favorite maid, Valentine Candycane, she prefers to go by Mo." Shinn groaned while the maid kept smiling, both quite familiar with the prince's habit of introducing others with absolutely ridiculous names. The girls didn't care or notice, but squealed.

"Holy shit, you really _are_ friends with Prince Athha!" The girl in question glanced at Shinn, "I thought you were making that up to try and be cool."

"Well yes and no," Kira grinned, "we are pals but his certain uncoolness was no myth. I've been trying to get my dad to give it its own monument." Noticing their laughter, his smiled only widened. Jessica and Misha. He would have to remember those names.

"That's so cool! How did you guys meet?" Of them asked, hands clasped behind her back.

"Oh, that's one heck of story full of twist and turns. Believe it or not, I've also got baby pictures of Shinn to prove it."

"No you don't! Screw this, let's go you guys," he turned to his sister, "You deal with him for a while."

"Yeah, yeah. Get outta here."

"Heya Kira! Wasn't Lion-O great?" Mayu waved enthusiastically the instant her face popped up on the screen. The others within the Asuka household left the premises.

Small talk ensued between them for another half-hour, and while Kira certainly enjoyed conversing with the girl (while Setona fed him his lunch), Shinn's "extra homework" remained at the forefront of his thoughts.

* * *

A/N

As eluded earlier, Setona and Kira are about the same age. Luckily, with Setona's canonical suspended animation, she's one character whose age can be altered quite a bit without contradicting canon. So for this fic let's just say her transport to Earth was a lot faster than in _Delta Astray_, allowing her to be around 15 at this time. As far as Kira's character is concerned, remember that he's grown up in a completely different environment than in the anime, not to mention no mother and no Athrun. Sexuality wise, I don't think it's too much of a stretch for Kira to swing both ways, given how close he and Athrun are in canon. Feel free to drop a review and tell me your thoughts. It's much appreciated.


	2. Heliopolis: Neutral? Uh Maybe?

Transferring a large shipment of supplies, Morgenroete chief engineer Erica Simmons held a large stack of papers crunched within a sturdy clipboard, recording each and every part delivered to its proper location. Production for another batch of M-1 Astray mobile suits would begin soon, and Erica wanted to ensure they had the best start. Her favorite trio of test pilots –who Kira quickly named M-1 Charlie's Angels– had all pitched in as well, and she could hear Asagi, Mayura and Juri hard at work.

'_Speak of the little devil…'_ she thought. Even with her head down, she could easily pick up the chatter of Kira Nara Athha. He wasn't alone either, as Setona Winters unsurprisingly accompanied him, as well as the dark-skinned, long-haired man of Tassil descent, Ledonir Kisaka, dressed in his Orb military uniform carrying an air of professionalism completely lacking in the other two. They wasted no time in approaching her.

She barely prevented herself from groaning. Their visit had one purpose.

One obvious and annoying purpose.

"Hey Erica-" Kira began to ask.

"No." She interjected, eyes remaining on her clipboard.

"But you haven't even-"

"Nope."

"-heard what I was going to ask."

"I'm pretty sure I know what you want." She continued filling out the held paper.

"What are you, the Mentalist?" The prince turned to his maid, "She has no clue what kind of curveball I'm about to throw her way." Setona smiled and nodded.

Erica frowned. Kira didn't whisper quietly enough. "It's not a clever surprise when I see it coming, prince."

"Erica, don't be the one person who still thinks 'I know you are but what am I' is a decent comeback. I'm telling you, this is important!"

Sighing, she looked up, making eye contact with Kira. "I swear you test my patience more than my own little boy. Fine Kira, I'll play. Let me guess, oh Erica," She began imitating the prince with a squeaky voice that sounded nothing like him. "Have you heard anything about Heliopolis? I think Mina's up to something fishy there so I'm gonna harass you about it aaaaaaall day!" Her voice returned to normal. "Yet again, I have no idea what you're talking about. Just like the last nine and a half times you asked me before-"

"A half?" Kisaka interrupted, curious.

"Well," Grinning, Kira answered for her, "I started to ask her again but a wonderfully delicious looking guy passed by-"

"I understand." Kisaka learned enough.

"So she was right. Sorry Master Kira," she would've rubbed his arm affectionately had there been less people around.

He shrugged.

"Anyway, I don't know what to tell you." Erica paused briefly in thought, eyes averted for just a moment before returning, "Whatever it is, I'm sure it's no big deal. Why don't you help out with mobile suit training again, or go hang out in your room… or maybe find Lord Yuna and beat him down in Checkers again. That's always fun."

"Well, I can agree it's pretty awesome, especially when rinsed and repeated," Kira conceded, rubbing his chin in amusement. The look on Yuna's face alone from being the prince's bitch at any ancient board game was a priceless gift that kept on giving.

"Well good. Do that then." She looked at Kisaka, "Lieutenant Kisaka, could you get them out of here if nothing else? I do have work to do."

He nodded, "No problem. Come on you two." Hands placed behind them, he directed the two elsewhere.

After a few minutes of walking, Kira's attention shifted to Setona, "So what do you think?"

"She's hiding something," Gone was the scatterbrained expression, replaced by deep contemplation, "She doesn't like talking about it at any length, and even her response was rehearsed. It's like she wants to make sure you stay here and away from whatever's going on."

"Our minds are one, I was thinking the same," he nodded, secretly glad for her input.

Behind them, Kisaka shared similar thoughts. The whole arrival of the M-1 Astray seemed off. There was no real announcement of planning between Orb military concerning its development. One day it seemingly just appeared.

"Kisaka?" Kira took a deep breath, "We're going to need a shuttle. And fast."

"Where to?" He asked, though the Tassil native had a decent idea.

"Heliopolis." Kira answered solemnly before walking off.

"Where are you going?" Kisaka asked.

"To the Seirans. Yuna must remember his place in the world of Connect Four."

* * *

**Disclaimer**  
I don't own _Gundam SEED_ or any series of the Cosmic Era. No money is made by this.

**Note(s)**  
There is male/male, male/female and female/female in this fic.

* * *

Kira: Prince of Orb

Heliopolis

Chapter 2: Neutral? Uh... Maybe?

By Big-Babidi

* * *

Aboard the _Vesalius_, the crew begun preparations for the operation their commander had suddenly issued.

"I can't believe we're sneaking into Heliopolis. It's supposed to be neutral." The most compassionate of the team, Nicol Amalfi had serious reservations about their new mission. It was risky, dangerous and had potential consequences affecting the entire world. No pressure.

"By helping the Alliance create mobile suits?" Dearka Elsman scoffed, "Neutral my brown ass."

"Damn straight! Stupid Naturals should get no sympathy from us!" Yzak Joule agreed, pulling on a glove.

"Here we go again," Rusty McKenzie said with amusement while shaking his head. Their white-haired comrade was always ready to talk trash on anything Natural related. Rusty started imitating him, "Damn Naturals! Everything's their fault, including my winning personality!"

"Choke on a pile of crap Rusty," Yzak retorted. "Naturals are weak and pathetic, and I won't apologize for it."

"Alright guys, that's enough." Athrun Zala intervened. The last thing they needed was a fight to break out right before their first mission.

Under normal circumstances, objections would've have been raised but not this time. Yzak scoffed and looked away while Nicol stammered an apology for starting the conversation and the pilots continued preparation in silence.

Until Dearka spoke up.

"Ya know what really sucks? A depressing lack of danger music." Reaching into his locker, Dearka grabbed a small music player, "I wonder if the commander would mind if I carry out the operation with the _Mission Impossible_ theme on repeat blasting through my sharp eardrums."

"Mission what?" Yzak asked.

"_Mission Impossible_. A TV series on Ancient American that started in the 1960s about a team of secret agents who stop all sorts of baddies with kick-ass stealth. They're like the fictional us right now, only without Coordinators and giant robots… sort of." He finished with a shrug.

"I like what you're thinking," Rusty nodded. Completely suited up, he placed his hands on his hips and smirked. "If the commander says no, we'll just have to sing it ourselves."

Dearka grinned, "You know that's right." He extended a fist outward and Rusty took no time in bumping it. They each opened their palm and imitated the sound of an explosion, followed by childish laughter.

Nicol watched with a kind smile, Yzak put his palm to his face and Athrun stared in bewilderment. _'I shouldn't be thinking this, but we're gonna die out there aren't we?'_

* * *

"Hey Jessica, check this one out!" Inside one of Heliopolis' most expensive clothing stores, Flay Allster reached for an exquisite dress. Far from the only customers, the entire colony's shopping district bustled with activity, from kids to teens to full-time workers to grandparents. She and a number of friends held many sets of clothes while occupying a large portion of the changing rooms.

"Yeah alright." Jessica nodded and took the garment, proceeding to a dressing room. The stall she approached stood in between Misha and another friend Miriallia Haw, both trying on and possibly keeping clothes on Flay's dime. Benefits like a seemingly unlimited amount of funds came with being the daughter of vice foreign minister George Allster.

Examining the large pile of clothes they'd placed on nearby racks with the manager's permission, Flay grabbed a couple more, "And now it's my turn." She said smugly. Turning, she faced the only female of the group with no interest in fashion. "You sure you don't wanna try any of this on Cagalli? I don't mind paying for it."

Comfortable in a red sleeveless shirt, baggy jeans and cheap sneakers, Cagalli Yamato shook her head. "Nah, I'm good. I'm not really into dresses and stuff. Besides, then I'll miss out on precious moments of watching the boys squirm."

She smirked at the comically struggling trio to the side.

An amusing sight it was. Just like one of the biggest clichés in romantic movies with women shopping, three guys held an enormous number of clothes and shopping bags wearing an expression of undisguised misery. Sai Argyle and Miriallia's boyfriend Tolle Koenig came as no surprise, on the other hand…

"However you guys convinced me," Shinn Asuka paused dramatically, "I swear it won't work a second time."

Tolle raised an eyebrow, "Ya know, if I remember right you volunteered to come."

"It's not like I had a choice." Shinn sighed, aiming a glance to a stall with a door swinging open.

His little sister emerged wearing an elegant dress with a beaming smile, "Check me out guys! I'm like a real princess!" she exclaimed, the heels offering great difficulty for twirling in a circle. Her brother immediately reached out for support and barely stopped her from falling on her face, miraculously managing to continue holding the bags.

Shinn scoffed, "You'd look more like one if you'd _cover up_." Never mind the dress went past her knees and only revealed bare arms. Never mind that his response didn't change no matter what she tried on. Mayu stuck her tongue out in response.

"I think you look good, Mayu," Sai spoke up, laughing nervously at Shinn's murderous glare.

Mayu sighed at the antics of her ridiculously overprotective brother. If Shinn had his way, she'd die of old age before her first kiss or a single date.

Three stalls opened and the girls sans Flay emerged. Miriallia was quickly showered with praise via Tolle and to a lesser extent Sai. Flay's friends had others they sought for approval. Wearing a tight strapless black dress that covered so little it was almost a one piece swimsuit, Misha wasted no time heading in the direction of Shinn Asuka. Barefoot, she tried approaching him in a supposedly seductive manner, only to start pouting when his focus remained on Mayu's balance.

"Shinn!" She whined. Getting his attention was like pulling teeth.

He gave her an annoyed glance, "What is it Misha? I'm still mad at you ya know. Who knows what kinda pervs will be checkin' her out." Shinn replied with a blush. He could never recall her dressing so provocatively at school or when they usually hung out.

Misha restrained her urge to fume, settling for running a hand through her short black hair_. 'I'm practically wearing nothing right in front of him and he still doesn't get why I invited Mayu? So dense!'_

A deep breath taken, she reached out and grabbed Mayu's other hand, "Here, I'll help Mayu stand up. You've got your hands full already."

Taking it the wrong way he scowled.

She quickly attempted some damage control, "Besides, I'm happy to help you!" Her cheerful smile only widened and she subtly tried bending over, giving the teen a nice view while helping his precious sister.

"Well… that's a start. Thanks." He mumbled. That girl was so hard to understand.

'_Sister-complexing bastard. That's something we'll have to work on.'_ Despite her dark thoughts, she did smile at his satisfaction. _'I need more single guy friends.'_

"Wow, looks like Misha switched plans." Cagalli blinked, watching the black-haired girl nearly throw herself at the young Coordinator. "When subtle fails go clingy. Then again, maybe she had a good teacher. Don't you think Jessica?" Her gaze turned downward at the happy girl hugging her arm.

"Yep!" She nodded, head leaning on Cagalli's shoulder.

Cagalli sighed, resting an arm on the girl's back. Initially annoying, Jessica's antics started to grow on her. The other girl had a tremendously persuasive sad face when denied her wishes, and Cagalli had practically been guilt tripped into having a girlfriend.

"Clingy! Clingy!" Catapulting from the ground, a Haro robot landed on the palm of Cagalli's free hand.

The blonde laughed, "She sure is, isn't she Red?" Her sole companion before moving to Heliopolis, Haro had been a gift from a childhood friend during her time on Copernicus. Athrun had always been a kind companion, creating the small machine for her despite how much time and effort she spent teasing him for being an _enormous nerd_.

Rolling around in Cagalli's hand, the round robot's eyes flashed repeatedly, "I can accept that!"

Jessica pouted, tightening her hold on Cagalli's arm.

"Oh relax, you silly girl." The following kiss satisfied her instantly.

With the last stall's opening, Flay emerged in a lovely red dress that easily accentuated her features. While Sai quickly approached and lavished her appearance with gushing praise, she glanced at the others and shook her head. With Cagalli and Shinn around, she should've predicted her horny friends would make fools of themselves to grab their attention.

It only happened every time they hung out.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

"Huh?" Tolle checked his watch, blaring an alarm. "It's that time already?"

Miriallia glanced over his shoulder. "Yeah, I guess we've been messing around too much."

Sai smiled apologetically to his fiancé. "Sorry Flay, but we've got to wrap this up and get moving."

"Oh alright." She pretended to feel hurt, having already been told Sai and the others would have to meet up with Professor Kato around this time. Despite time restrictions, the teens and the younger Asuka still had fun. Slowly each girl changed back to original clothing and Flay paid the enormous total with a single swipe. Or as Mayu called it, she paid with her "I'm rich bitch" card.

The older students sans Cagalli entered a nearby car. Tolle started up the engine.

"You coming Shinn?"

He shook his head. "Nope. I promised myself a Kato-free day earlier, and I'm sticking to it."

"Or you could just admit your lazy ass doesn't want to do any schoolwork." Mayu happily offered at his side.

"I could, but I refuse."

"Suit yourself." Tolle shrugged. "Honestly though I can't really blame you. See ya guys later." Many hands waves to various people as the car sped on.

Luckily for Shinn, the store's employees had assisted Flay in carrying her bags, the sheer volume of clothes almost filled the entire back seat. Flay and Misha sat in the front, and Jessica barely had enough room to buckle her seat belt. Cagalli took one look before shaking her head.

"Um… yeah. You guys go on ahead and drop that off. We'll just hang out here for a while, get something to eat or stop by the arcade." Outside the store was a plaza filled with all sorts of enjoyment during this time of day.

"Ooooh! Arcade! Arcade!" Mayu hopped up and down before assuming a comically absurd karate stance. Whatever game they chose, she planned on destroying her brother.

Shinn sighed and placed his palm to his face. A few days earlier, Mayu played a _Star Wars_ game and had spent the entire evening pretending to zap him with imaginary lighting. It got old pretty fast.

"Well, you heard the lady," Cagalli smirked. "That's where we'll be. Hurry up and get back okay?"

"Of course!" Flay smirked back and hit the gas. Jessica waved to her girlfriend while Misha locked eyes with Shinn and blew a kiss.

"Why did Misha just…?" Shinn trailed off, his eyes wide.

"Tell me you've figured it out by now." Cagalli deadpanned. "Tell me you can't be this stupid."

"Figured what out?" He asked.

* * *

The trip to Heliopolis went uneventful, save for the prince's annoying habit of making random animal noises. Fortunately, they arrived at the colony before Kisaka's dark thoughts had the strength to overwhelm his willpower.

Like anything secretive, a sign of abnormality couldn't be found on the surface. It'd been months since his last visit to Heliopolis, but the colony appeared the same as always. A resource satellite that also served as a home for various civilians and workers. Purple eyes darted back and forth, noting the peace. From safely seated on the passenger's side of a green jeep, he enjoyed the sights. He enjoyed seeing a group of kids playing tag, running and laughing, ignorant of the real world and its crushing dangers. He liked seeing a table of four having an obvious double date, all of them really hot women. He didn't like the group of men in nice suits surrounding a young red-haired girl and making some kind of exchange, someone else born into the world of the rich and powerful and political. Refocusing his attention on more positive people, he waved to the bystanders, calling out his name and greeting them with a childish grin.

At that lengthy distance, they didn't notice.

Hands firmly placed on the wheel, Ledonir Kisaka's eyes never left the road. He drove with grim determination. With their thoughts elsewhere, they reached Heliopolis' major military checkpoint earlier than anticipated. Applying pressure to the brakes, the jeep stopped as a pair of soldiers reached the vehicle. Both appeared young, likely teenagers who'd recently joined the army.

"Excuse me sir. You'll need the proper clearance to pass through this area."

Just before Kisaka grabbed his identification the prince spoke up.

"Hey there good sirs," Kira saluted, "I'm the Orb prince, Kira Nara Athha and this is my bodyguard, Prometheus Maximus. Yes that's his real name. His parents knew as far back as the pregnancy that he ain't nothin' to fuck with."

The guards glanced at each other and he could tell one of them was already nervous.

'_Awesome.'_ Kira thought. "Now on top of that, my fiance asked for some… let's just say movable machinery and leave it at that. You know what I'm talkin' about. You see, we're running late as is, and I've no intention of keeping my beautiful Mina waiting."

"Did you hear anything about this?" One of the officers asked, facing his colleague.

"You kiddin'? They don't tell us shit. I only heard about the _Archangel_ by accident. Everything's hush hush around here."

"It makes sense though. From what I heard, Lady Mina says he's the best there is with an O.S."

'_Did she now?'_ Kira fought to restrain his grin. Learning about the praise felt oddly pleasing. _'What happened to being an unstable child?'_

The two glanced at each other before nodding. "Yeah alright. You're clear. Wouldn't want to make her mad after all."

Just like that they stepped aside, allowing the jeep to continue on its merry way.

Kira blinked. "Well that was simple. Good thing no one else tried that before me."

"And completely unnecessary. You do know that, right Kira?" Kisaka asked.

The prince shrugged. "I wanted to see how far I could go before you stepped in. I wasn't expecting it to work so smoothly."

"It only worked because they were so green. A seasoned veteran wouldn't have dropped everything at the sound of your voice." Kisaka felt disappointed at their conduct, and had a couple words he'd like to share with their superiors.

"Now, now, now. Let's be fair, at least I am involved in this computer stuff and apparently have the backing of Sahaku." Kira chuckled, mentally preparing to shove that in Mina's face in front of a large audience. "It's not like they're ZAFT soldiers that allowed Lacus Clyne access to some kind of incredibly dangerous super weapon that could change the war. Now _that_ would be ridiculous."

They shared a good laugh at that one.

"So the _Archangel_, what do you think of that?" Kisaka asked, getting back to business.

"Sounds like someone's been watching too much X-Men." Kira replied, only to notice his bodyguard appeared unimpressed. "Well it's got to be some kind of equipment: a mobile suit, a warship, maybe a type of software or hardware. I dunno. Let's just dig into some popsicles, drive like maniacs, grab hold of the suspense and wait 'til we get there!"

He slapped Kisaka on the shoulder, "Come on man it'll be fun!"

'_Only you find entertainment out of this.'_ Ledonir shook his head.

* * *

The team of ZAFT soldiers had stealthily navigated through the inner workings of Heliopolis, seconds away from entering the colony's interior.

"Dun. Dun. Dun. Dundundun. Dun. Dun. DunDun Doodoodoooo! Doodoodoooo! Doodoodoooo! Doodoo!"

"God damn it Dearka, shut the hell up! You've been doing that for the past ten minutes!" Yzak growled, "And you're singing sucks anyway!"

Dearka glared.

"Don't feel down Dearka." Nicol took the other soldier's mock hurt expression seriously. "I'm sure he didn't mean it," he said soothingly.

"We're on a mission guys. Cut the chatter." Once again, Athrun felt the need to intervene.

"Shut up, Commander Zala." Yzak sneered.

Dearka nodded, earlier argument forgotten and joining forces once again. "Yeah man. Who got high and made you leader?"

Athrun sighed. "All I'm saying is to get a grip. We've already planted the bombs, but it's not over yet."

"Dun. Dun. Dundundun." Rusty jumped in, "Dunuuuuuuuun!"

"Rusty!" Yzak roared. "When the fighting starts, I hope one of you get shot!"

Nicol remained quiet, but wondered if he could perform the _Mission Impossible_ theme piano style. His pondering wouldn't last. Strapped to various pieces of the secret warship, a number of timed bombs finished their countdown.

In three.

Two.

One.

* * *

When the ground shook, when the orbiting ZAFT vessel launched and when Heliopolis' neutrality failed, the Earth Alliance Forces had already taken action. While Lieutenant Ramius had already called for the G-Weapons to the _Archangel_, ace pilot Rena Imelia traveled alongside the officers delivering the first shipment. Called in recently to assist with the mobile suit's O.S. and further instruct her students on piloting the machines, she couldn't help but worry about the situation. _'I hope my boys are alright. They should be with the captain at this time.'_

Hopefully he would keep those troublemakers out of harm's way. She looked to the side at the equipment. Duel. Buster. Blitz. She'd yet to pilot them herself, but observing her students' attempts to operate them made it clear these machines far surpassed ZAFT's mass produced models once fully operational. No matter the cost, they must protect them.

She also spotted a jeep carrying an Orb soldier and likely one of its nobles -judging by his purple suit- making strange hand gestures, but paid it little attention. Heliopolis officials were likely scrambling all over the place dealing with ZAFT in this tense and stressful situation.

"Lieutenant Imelia!" Another officer brought her out of her musings. "Above us at ten o' clock! It's a ZAFT GINN!"

"What?" She looked to said location, and sure enough the common green mobile suit had entered the colony. Not just one either, another trailed right behind the first in the direction of… Rena gasped. "They must be after the G-weapons. They're heading straight for us!"

Closing enough distance, the GINNs pointed their rifles.

"Everyone, get out of your vehicles! They're about to open fire!"

The mobile suit pulled the trigger.

* * *

Just before 500mm bullets utterly destroyed the jeep they occupied, Kisaka snatched the prince and launched out the vehicle like a hardcore action hero.

"Wheeeeee!" Kira cried in midair.

As the jeep exploded, the pair rolled nearby on the ground. Getting up, the Orb colonel quickly assessed the situation. No matter where he looked any civilians within his line of sight fled to the shelters in obvious terror. To his left, small tanks from Heliopolis' defense force immediately sprung to action, missiles firing once locking onto the mobile suits via laser. Sadly, the GINNS easily dodged them, the missiles exploding various buildings and sections on the ground. To the right, a team of nine ZAFT soldiers began descending on this location. Kisaka quickly realized why. _'Those mobile suits! They're probably nearby! That's what this is all about.'_

"Prince, get out of here! I'll distract them for a second then join you!" Drawing his sidearm, Kisaka pointed it towards the enemies and concentrated. With only nine bullets, his shots better count. The first bullet from his handgun smashed through a green helmet, pegging the soldier right between the eyes.

"Holy crap on a stick!" Kira yelled, his retreat cut short as bullets whizzed by the ground nearby. Panicked, Kira ran back into the chaos. He took a deep breath. He had to get back on track. He had to think positive.

"Kira!" Kiasaka had already emptied half his clip.

"I'm good, but my underwear won't be if this keeps up." He looked around. That GINN stood so close, almost mocking them and their efforts, having no trouble destroying any missile truck sent in its way. That its one eye hadn't veered on them was fortunate. But Kira already diverted attention from that, focusing on the structure behind him, containing what could only be…

"Sweet Mufasa's beard!" He yelled again, "Are those mobile suits right behind us? The one's Mina talked about?"

Kisaka nodded. "Probably, but we can't hold these guys off forever. They'll overtake us and grab those models in a matter of time." He fired again, this time blasting one of the ZAFT reds.

"Nicol!" Athrun shouted. His friend went down with a trail of blood leaking from his shoulder.

Instead of blaming the Tassil native, Dearka snarled at his white-haired friend. "Yzak, you're a God damn monster!"

"Yzak… _why_?" Pain overriding his senses, Nicol joined in.

Remembering his earlier comment, Yzak was horrified. "I didn't mean it I swear!"

"Well in that case, are you thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" On the battle's other side, Kira gathered enough courage to smirk. Some enemy combatants seemed occupied after his bodyguard put a bullet in one of their comrades. A golden opportunity.

Kisaka nodded. "For once I am. Go!"

He didn't need telling twice. Running in zig-zags, the prince of Orb leapt onto the closest mobile suit. Ignoring the sounds of death and destruction surrounding him, he crawled like a monkey to the cockpit and even emulated the animal's noises along the way. A batshit idea at first glance, it sounded infinitely better than the alternative: thinking about an Orb colony under attack, thinking about the ramifications, thinking about who knew this secret beforehand (Mina for sure, but Erica? His father?), thinking about friends like Shinn Asuka and their well being and thinking about his survival, whether or not he'd see his family, ever feel Vanfeldt's arms around him or laugh at Setona's lovable behavior ever again.

Opening the cockpit, he jumped inside and closed the door. A few button presses later and the machine started up. Cameras activated in front of him on three surrounding panels, various appliances came to life and the appearance of a certain acronym reminded him of a program on Ancient Anime. _'Man, I feel so Amuro right now, only twice as awesome and less 'an half the bitch.'_

"Let's see… GAT-X207 Blitz," he whistled, "Time to found out what this bad boy can do."

* * *

A/N

Please leave a review, good, bad or thoroughly neutral.


	3. Heliopolis: GundAAAAAAAM!

Unlike frightened bystanders, Mayu Asuka only needed to hear the first explosion before she took off running. Cagalli and Shinn stood frozen for a few seconds before following in pursuit. With no sense of direction, she ran and ran, thoughts of her survival consuming her young mind. Minutes passed of constant sprinting before Cagalli spoke up.

"Mayu! Mayu wait!" She yelled. A young lady with an athletic build, her inability to catch up with a little girl felt shocking and irritating.

"Yeah slow down damn it!" Shinn agreed.

"Shut the hell up!" Mayu didn't bother sparing them a glance. The colony clearly under attack and they wanted her to sit around for crumpets and tea? Never mind that Cagalli loathed crumpets and the mere idea of tea made Shinn sour with disgust.

"Where are you even going?" Cagalli tried to be rational, the calm head among the panicked group. In this chaos, someone had to be.

"Anywhere that isn't here! I don't wanna die a virgin!" Mayu's scream was barely heard over a recent explosion.

"What the hell are you talking about? Aren't you like twelve?"

Finally stopped, Mayu turned around quick. "I'm _ten_!" She shrieked, eyes watering. Her pause allowed them to catch up.

Shinn placed an arm on his sister's shoulder. "If you run off like that again I swear I'll dunk your face in lava! Don't ask me how but I _will_ do it."

Three short tempers in a chaotic situation?

Terrible idea.

* * *

**Disclaimer  
**I don't own _Gundam SEED_or any series associated with the Cosmic Era. Or any series that is referenced by the characters. I also don't own any of the songs from the ring tones of character's phones. Shocker.

**Summary  
**A switch between Kira and Cagalli. What if Kira ended up with Uzumi and Cagalli was raised by the Yamatos?

**Note(s)  
**There is male/male, male/female and female/female in this fic. Oh my! *Gasps*

* * *

Kira: Prince of Orb

Heliopolis

Chapter 3: GundAAAAAAAM!

By Big-Babidi

* * *

Where brother and sister glared in each other faces, Cagalli took a quick look around. They'd clearly left the plaza and into a less populated area. She couldn't see a single store or a single person, but did notice other buildings. Buildings that were wide and tall and covered in white, appearing incredibly boring. With the shopping and factory districts nearby, they apparently crossed the former onto the latter.

Some random objects resided on the ground, likely belongings left behind from previous escapees. Before long, she stumbled, the result of being pushed from behind. A few others fled in the same direction, now passing the trio and never looking back.

Her teeth grinded together, already frazzled. _'Fuckers.'_ She thought reflexively.

Regaining composure, she noticed another person entered her line of sight. An elderly man with white curly hair and wearing a lab coat along with a dress shirt and slacks pushed his aging body to its limit. Instead of running to a shelter, his destination was clearly a building across the street.

"Wait a minute…" Cagalli mumbled. She recognized that guy. Her gaze redirected to the Asukas and their petty sibling style argument.

"Oh yeah? My nose is touching your nose. How do you like that!" Mayu yelled. She had to stand on her toes, and needed her brother leaning down to pull it off. She didn't care.

"Makes me hope I don't catch all of your boogers!" Shinn angrily retorted.

She recoiled. "Eww that's really gross. You better take that back!"

"Hey idiots … is it just me, or is that Professor Kato?" Cagalli cut in. She literally couldn't think of a worse time for their antics.

The siblings broke their angry glaring match. Nearly taking their anger out on her, her pointing finger stopped them short. Following its trajectory, they saw Shinn's instructor with a panicked countenance, looking around multiple times before entering the building. How he didn't see them they would never know. They were in plain sight.

'_Or maybe he did.'_ Cagalli mused. _'And couldn't find it in himself to give a shit.'_

Shinn blinked. "So much for my Kato-less day. It started out so sweet."

"Damn it Shinn! This is serious!" Cagalli yelled.

"You don't think I know that?" He shouted. From Mayu to Cagalli, he switched opponents and another staring battle began.

"Apparently not since you're making stupid jokes that aren't even funny!" Being the calm one lasted only minutes, and Cagalli felt beyond pleased to abandon the title, flailing her arms recklessly.

It was overrated anyway.

"What the hell would you know about comedy?" He shot back.

"Enough to know it's better off without you!" She stuck out her tongue.

He got in her face. "Oh yeah? My forehead is touching your forehead. How do you like that?"

"What are you, trying to kiss me you perv!" Cagalli hotly replied.

"I don't make out with _men_!" Shinn felt equally heated.

The blonde's fingers curled into a fist. "What'd you say!"

"Hey _idiots_!" Mayu called, unaware of saving her brother from losing a tooth. She wrapped her arms around herself. "What are we going to do now?"

The little girl's scared and vulnerable expression stopped their fight faster than kicks to the face.

Cagalli glanced over to where Kato had stood with hands in her pockets. She shrugged. "I say we keep going. Who knows what he's up to and I'd rather live to see another day. The professor's a grown man anyway. He'll be fine."

Rage replaced with serious, Shinn narrowed his eyes. The latest discussion with Kira left him feeling odd about Kato. Far from considering himself an epic profiler, it was impossible to miss his friend's discomfort at something the elder man had done. "I'm going to follow him. Stay with Mayu in the meantime."

"Was that supposed to be a request? Because it sure as hell didn't sound like one." Hands on her hips, Cagalli glared. Circumstances be damned, no one ordered around Cagalli Yamato if they enjoyed keeping their testicles. Or their teeth. Or their spinal cord. Or their-

"Yeah whatever. I'm going inside."

"Fuck that!" Mayu cried. She tugged his sleeve with one hand while wiping away tears with the other. How could her brother even suggest something like this? "Either we all go inside or none of us go inside! We're sticking together and that's final!"

"Fine!" Shinn yelled, droplets of spit landing on her face. He grabbed her hand. "And stop crying damn it 'cause we're gonna be okay!"

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Brilliant idea Shinn. Yell in her face some more and that'll cheer her right up. God _damn_ you're a genius!"

"Shut the hell up Cagalli."

Discussion halted as the trio crossed the street. Upon entry, they noticed a clean interior. Like a corporate building, it had a receptionist's desk and several offices on the sides, each with the doors wide open and the receptionist not even glancing in their direction, working diligently on something in her desk. As for remaining personnel, the place was filled with men and women in white coats, each one recklessly scurrying about, shredding documents and deleting files.

'_But what the hell do they need to do that for? It's like they're more worried about this stuff than their own lives.'_ Shinn wondered. Suspicions grew stronger. _'Are they trying to cover up something? Sure seems like it.'_

"Shinn! There he is!" Mayu pointed toward to the right, at the far end of the room.

His sister had good eyes. He'd only caught a glimpse of Kato's curly hair before he turned the corner.

Shinn nodded. "After him!"

At the same time Cagalli cracked her knuckles. "Get him!"

"Let's kick his ass!"

The teenagers turned to the younger one.

"What?" Mayu asked innocently. Hands on her hips, she huffed. "You guys yelled stuff too!"

The pair shook their heads before following in pursuit. Cagalli noticed the office employees made no attempt to stop them. Even with the outdoor calamity, she figured someone would've demanded an explanation to their presence. Same corner turned, they regained sight of their target. Kato stood in front of a door fumbling in his coat pocket. But this door differed from others. Bulky and secure, it needed something specific to make it open. Sure enough, Kato pulled out the appropriate keycard and slid it through a small machine latched to the side. The old man raced down a flight of stairs after the door opened.

Keeping it closed afterward never crossed his mind.

"This is getting more and more conspiracy weird by the minute," Cagalli said. She stood behind the siblings with arms crossed.

"I know." Shinn agreed.

Mayu nodded when he looked at her. Since entering the building, her hand hadn't left her brother's for a second. She could tell he wanted her permission. He wanted her content with their chase. Despite the anxiety and the fear, she felt comfort in his affection. Even during a situation like this, Shinn still cared for her well being.

They found stairs. Lots of stairs and lots of staircases. Each step took them deeper into the colony. When reaching the bottom, their legs ached greatly and each person silently hoped they'd find a chair in the next room. Crossing through another open door led them to what appeared to be an extensive hangar and testing facility. They saw Kato having a heated exchange with someone, but that didn't matter. Nor did the other people behaving similarly to the previous workers or the scientific equipment nearby or the large glass pane above.

Nothing grabbed their attention like the three mobile suits standing to the side. Each was white but all had a differing secondary color scheme on their forearms and parts of the legs and chest. One had been painted red, where another was blue and the last painted gold. A beam saber had been placed near each shoulder. The face differed greatly from the norm. A white head with two eyes, it greatly resembled the mobile suits seen in-

"Holy crap it's a Gundam! That's soooo awesome!" Mayu squealed. One of her favorite shows brought to life. It was like a dream come true if one ignored the outdoor chaos. The ZAFT GINN had always seemed close … but this? Yeah. Oh yeah. Fuck yes! Whoever made these had to have been a fan.

"Who said that!" Someone called out.

"A Gundam? Please. You watch too much cartoons." Cagalli rolled her eyes, ignoring the adults.

Shinn nodded. "Yeah, I'd say you're going overboard with the whole Gundam thing."

Mayu almost responded, but her ring tone beat her to it. Sounds from Ancient Music drifted from her mobile.

_**I'm blue da ba dee da ba die  
**__**da ba dee da ba die  
**__**da ba dee da ba die.**_

"Oh hey. Check it out. I gotta text from Kira." She read the message and giggled before holding her phone up for the others.

_Imma flyin a gundamz lolololol_

Shinn raised both eyebrows. "Well fuck me in every direction."

Cagalli scoffed. "I'd say 'tell that to Misha' but it's clearly no use."

Before he could respond, Kato and the other person approached them.

Shinn gasped, his eyes widened at the other individual's identity. Long black hair, orange eyes, pale skin, fancy purple suit. But … male. Definitely male. Still …. "Mina Sahaku?" He croaked. Shinn noticed the person's face scrunching angrily. He knew that scowl. Every encounter they had gave him numerous demonstrations. "Holy shit it is you! When the hell did you get a sex change? Better yet, how'd Kira take the news? You can't tell me you didn't get that recorded."

Growling, Rondo _Ghina_ Sahaku stomped his foot as his fists tightened. "How dare you! Mina's my twin sister you _fool_!"

* * *

Grey eyes flared yellow and a beast was brought to life. Amidst the chaos of Heliopolis, of gunfire and explosions and death and panic, one of the Earth Forces prototype mobile weapons had begun to stand. Inside the machine sat Kira Nara Athha, typing keys at a speed that would leave even the most savvy computer nerds envious and possibly a little horny.

With each calibration and every analysis Kira found his suspicions brought to light. Save for a few minor differences, the OS of this machine was the one he developed. If others mobile suits had been created, they'd likely feature this system as well.

'_Well this is about as unfortunate as the time I had to yodel at Mina's birthday.'_ He gave the system another look. A great deal of air inhaled, then exhaled as he breathed a heavy sigh. _'Does that make me partially responsible for … this?'_

The Blitz standing upright, Kira took a look around from within, activated cameras providing a wide view of the colony's factory district. Flames and smoke covered the area, the latter especially coming from the majority of nearby buildings. Along the ground were numerous craters that varied in size, some on grassy areas and others on paved roads. Zooming in further, he could see Heliopolis civilians fleeing for the colony's many evacuation shelters. He couldn't locate Kisaka among them, but the lieutenant could take care of himself. According to those who served with him, none in Orb could compete with the Tassil native in terms of overall badassery.

"If so, then I ought to set it right. Let's see this Gundam's strength." Despite the surrounding pandemonium, despite the fear and despite the gnawing guilt a feeling of awe found its way to make itself known within. He could hardly believe his eyes from the obvious acronym at the machine's startup. To think he would pilot a Gundam in real life. His list of lifelong goals had gotten one entry shorter.

He glanced at the armaments along with corresponding images. Gleipnir anchor on its left forearm. Going by the specs, he could probably fire this at enemies on the attached line. An impressive weapon, but the real action came from the right arm's equipment. The Trikeros system, an offensive pack that doubled as a shield consisted of a beam saber, 50mm high energy beam rifle and a trio of lancer darts long enough to be used individually as a melee weapon. _'With this much power, no wonder they built it in secret.'_ Along with the arsenal, it had an ultracompact energy battery, as well as Phase Shift and Mirage Colloid. _'Whatever they are.'_

_**Never gonna give you up,  
**__**Never gonna let you down!**_

Responding to the ringtone, Kira flipped open his cell phone. He felt glad that Mayu could answer his text. It meant that she still lived, that she was in still one piece and still coherent enough to type a message. Shinn probably hovered nearby, monitoring their conversation to assure they didn't flirt, even at a time like this. In all fairness to the overprotective Asuka brother, Kira likely would send something suggestive in a minute; and now that he accepted Shinn's imaginary overseeing position as reality, likely would became _definitely would_. The look on his face ….

Reading her reply took the newfound giddiness away in a flash.

_Me an Shinbi r in gundumz 2 yaaayz _

Kira paled. _'She better be kidding.'_

Not to mention utterly implausible. The tiny Asuka should have made her way to a shelter, safe and secure, waiting for the battle's end before going back home with her parents and her overprotective brother. Entering a Gundam and engaging in mobile suit combat made equal sense to Kira as Captain Planet making a surprise visit to the battlefield. Complete and utter nonsense. Did not compute.

He pressed the reply button and began typing keys in response before the Blitz picked up an incoming source. Identification happened in an instant, both machine and pilot recognizing the GINN. One of ZAFT's invaders headed his way.

The olive green mass produced mobile suit raced to his location, skillfully spinning through the air. It landed nearby and opened a line of communication before its feet touched the ground. The pilot clearly knew what he was doing inside the cockpit.

"Inside already Yzak? Damn that was fast." Miguel Aiman wore a triumphant smirk. He'd spent months training those reds the efficient ways of combat, and they'd clearly taken their senior's advice to heart. Truth be told, he anticipated Athrun to succeed first like usual, but pretending to expect Yzak instead would silently piss him off. _'Heh, he'll pretend it doesn't bother him until he's alone. I heard all about when Yzak beat his ass in chess once.'_

Without thinking, Kira immediately responded. "Uh… yeah. I have never heard of this 'Eeee-Zack', but it sounds incredibly weaksauce."

"Say what? Who the hell are you?" Friendly tone becoming hostile, Miguel raised his GINN's assault rifle toward the Blitz.

"Um … a ZAFT soldier? One delivering toys for infants and bones for puppies and in no way a danger to those around him?" He tried.

Miguel pulled the trigger.

Utilizing reflexes far exceeding the average Natural, Kira barely maneuvered the Blitz to the side and avoided a spray of 76mm bullets that tore through the elevated highway and ground behind him.

He narrowed his eyes, trying to replace fear with inner commentary best summed up as "incredibly dumb". _'Guess he didn't see the humor there. Uncool man. Way uncool.'_

_**Never gonna give you up,  
Never gonna let you down!**_

His cell phone bounced around in the cockpit as the Blitz moved, but Kira paid it no mind. Telling Mayu Asuka how much he needs her in his life would come later. He had to ensure said life wouldn't end shortly.

_**Never gonna run around and desert you!**_

* * *

Where mobile suits engaged combat and civilians ran in panic, the same could be said for some of ZAFT's soldiers. Two of them specifically. One a green haired soldier wearing the red uniform of the academy's top ten percent. He struggled as he walked, his hand gripping a bullet wound received in the opposing shoulder. Another provided him aid, a tan soldier with blond hair and purple eyes that earned the same uniform. A building that suffered collateral damage from a missile to its side had become their latest hiding spot.

Nicol leaned against a wall, sliding down until he reached a crouching position. He turned left to view the outdoor carnage. "Thank you Dearka. Without you I'd be a goner."

"Yeah whatever." He stood close, gripping his knees as he caught his breath. A helmet was on his head, but he threw it off after it got uncomfortable. His machine gun was strapped over his shoulder, but its lack of bullets hampered its threat level significantly.

"Where are the others?"

"They went ahead for now. This situation has gone out of control." He sighed. Talk out understatement of the year. Nay, the entirety of Cosmic Era. After Nicol took a bullet, the opposition's remaining firepower drove the briefly panicked ZAFT soldiers into separation. The closest to Nicol, Dearka grabbed him and decided to fall back. He'd yet to see Yzak, Rusty or Athrun since.

Sadly, the scene before him gave little solace. Where the ground battles and the soldiers involved were often times hard to see, mobile suit fighting was not. One of the prototype mobile weapons -which oddly resembled a Gundam on TV- maneuvered evasively, avoiding attacks from one of his own. If he ventured a guess, Dearka would assume Miguel operated the GINN. Now Miguel Aiman may not be the most serious soldier among the militia of ZAFT. He may have messed with them all on a consistent basis. He may have routinely gave them silly hazing rituals, noogies and had been the first one to literally piss in their cereal (the second being Dearka himself for serious payback), but attacking them via mobile suit during their first mission far exceeded anything he would do for giggles. It meant the first machine activated for an enemy.

"I was afraid of that. I… Dearka I'm sorry." Nicol breathed out. If not for this wound, Dearka likely would've been inside a mobile suit already, possibly on route back to Commander Le Creuset. Instead he was stuck babysitting someone he only tolerated at best.

Shaking his head, Dearka wore a crooked smile. "Don't get all emotional on me now. Besides, we're still blaming Yzak. For all we know, I might get a matching bullet wound. He put a curse on us all."

Nicol laughed. "I sure hope not."

They remained silent for minutes before Nicol spoke again. "What do we do now?"

Standing straight, Dearka crossed his arms. "I still say we finish our objective. Besides, with the way things are going right now it looks like those mobile suits are the best way off this rock."

"Yeah you're probably right." Throughout all fourteen years of living, Nicol had never felt such fear. One move. All it took was one wrong move for his life to end.

"It looks like the other two haven't moved yet. With your injury we might have to capture one, but taking only one suit sounds better than getting filled with bullet holes. You ready to go?"

"Yeah." Nicol nodded. Hand remaining on wounded shoulder, he solely utilized his legs to stand. The pair exited the wreckage and turned right…

…and encountered a brick wall otherwise known as Ledonir Kisaka.

"Ah shit storms." Dearka cursed. The guy looked pretty tough. Furthermore, the pistol aimed in their direction didn't help matters.

Kisaka frowned. He'd been trying to escape, and running into ZAFT soldiers was counterproductive. He kept the gun pointed however, despite having equal ammunition as Dearka.

"I'll need you to drop your weapon."

Slowly reaching for his knife, Dearka spoke to his comrade seriously and sternly. Eyes fixed on the gun's barrel, he would take no arguments. "Nicol, I'll take this guy on. In the meantime, you need to get the hell out of here. Maybe hide and wait for one of us in a captured machine. You know Yzak or Athrun will snatch one up."

"But Dearka-"

"Go!" Weapon in hand, he sprinted towards the enemy in a zig-zag motion. "Bring it asswipe!"

Gun casually tossed aside, Kisaka swerved to the left and away from the knife. Dearka lacked the time to counter before a solid fist collided with stomach. Another punch followed, this one slamming his left eye. Rolling on the ground, Dearka got up quickly, keeping his attention occupied and away from Nicol. He rubbed his stomach and coughed.

"Now would be a good time to surrender. I have a few … questions."

"Sorry, but there's too much riding on this mission for me to do that." Dearka charged again. "Get ready 'cause I'm about to fuck your face!"

This time, Kisaka showed much less restraint. Opening his palm, he caught Dearka's fist with ease. The second hand, fingers tightened in a fist, make direct and dangerous contact with the blond's throat. With such intense pain, Dearka's eyes widened and could even feel the start of fresh tears. He couldn't give it much thought as Kisaka then kneed him in the chest and gave his face another punch. The bodyguard tugged Dearka back to him like a sling, and used that momentum for a strong kick against his stomach, a kick empowered by his own weight. Dearka rolled on the ground and this time getting up proved far more difficult.

"What the hell man? You're just a Natural." Dearka yelled.

In response, Kisaka swiftly roundhouse kicked him in the face.

"A Natural that's also beating your ass," he replied calmly. _'Did I really just say that? I'm spending too much time with the prince.'_

A puddle of blood ejected from his mouth, Dearka stood his ground. "Say what you want Dark Rambo. You still hit like a bitch."

"Dearka!" Nicol called. Contrary to his comrade's wishes, he hadn't moved since the battle started.

"Shut that pussy you call a mouth and _run Nicol_!" One final lunge, Dearka aimed to finish this. His aching body couldn't afford much else.

Yet again, he proved no match. Kisaka simply waited for the right moment before reaching out, fingers gripping the collar of Dearka's red piloting suit. Arm pulled back and he leaned forward, delivering a vicious head butt perfectly impacting with the ZAFT soldier's nose. Dearka's eyes rolled back before his body hit the ground, knocked out cold.

"Dearka! You bastard!"

Seeing no other option, Nicol brandished his own knife and lunged for Kisaka, doing his utmost to ignore the hissing pain in his shoulder. The prince's bodyguard easily sidestepped the attack and calmly smacked Nicol's neck with a swift karate chop after quickly peeling off his helmet. He slumped over, immediately unconscious.

Confiscating their weapons, Kisaka heaved them both over his shoulder like an epic lumberjack. He looked over at the mobile suits, to the battle in the sky.

"Kira…"

* * *

"Crap crap crap crappity crappy crap!" Kira exclaimed, controlling the Blitz to dodge another barrage of machine gun fire from Miguel's GINN. The past several minutes had been spent in a similar fashion.

See gun pointed.

Run away.

Yell something stupid.

Rinse and repeat.

_**Never gonna say goodbye!  
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you!**_

And add Kira's ring tone still playing in the background.

"Get back here you weird bastard!" Listening to his enemy's ramblings already convinced Miguel he fought a strange guy. Starting on ground level, their battle had eventually taken to the skies, reducing collateral damage. For this Miguel suspected his opponent's loyalties lied with Orb rather than the Earth Alliance Forces.

More shots fired.

Again, the mobile suit swerved around them.

"But you want to shoot me in my pelvis! _Why would I do that?_" Kira yelled.

"Because you feel bad for stealing that machine and making our lives just a little more difficult." The blond answered smoothly.

"Stealing it my stupid fiancé's perfectly shaped ass! The only ones trying to rob a Gundam around here are you guys!"

Miguel blinked. "Holy shit it does look like a Gundam. How'd I miss that?"

"I know right? I'm glad I'm not the only one to notice." He said in a tone much brighter. Another quick evasion switched it back to an angry one. "What the hell man, we were bonding!"

"Get acquainted with 76mm bullets! They're a great bunch of guys once you get to know 'em!" Miguel fired again.

_**We've known each other for so long  
**__**Your heart's been aching but  
**__**You're too shy to say it**_

Growling, Kira mounted his first counterattack. A blast of green particle beams from the Blitz's rifle that failed spectacularly in aim. He cursed silently. The shot directly smacked the center of an intersection and exploded the entire area. An absurd thought in the heat of the moment popped into his head. After this mess concluded and Heliopolis was free of GINN riding fuck-faces, a driver going any direction on that street would require a new route to their destination. Unlike other spots of collateral damage, the prince had been the one to pull the trigger.

"Whoa! Where do you think you're aiming Natural! I'm right over _here_!" Miguel mocked, shooting another round.

"Don't you ever run out of bullets? How many are in that thing?" Booming thrusters moved the Blitz right, Kira watched the ammunition soar beside him.

"Not much left, but you'll still die before then!"

Kira blinked. "You reveal that sort of thing just like that? Talk about easy."

"What?" Miguel growled. _'Oh this guy better not be suggesting he actually did that on purpose!'_

"So… any other beans you wanna spill for me?"

"_What_?" Eyes narrowing, Miguel's teeth grinded together while his knuckles turned white under his gloves.

Kira shrugged, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "Well if it's that simple I think it's okay to push my luck…"

"Die Natural scum!" Miguel roared. Assault rifle now securely resting against the GINN's lower back, it reached for the gem sword at its waist. Newfound fury created a different strategy, one of close range combat and full of stabbing. He wasted no time in closing the distance between them. Holding the weapon in both hands, the GINN swung vertically. The sword tasted nothing but air.

_**Never gonna give you up!  
**__**Never gonna let you down!**_

"Don't you ZAFT guys have any sense of humor?" Kira asked bitterly.

"What we have is a sense of duty you moron!"

A witty retort rested on the tip of Kira's tongue, but the concentration required for avoiding a gigantic blade kept him silent. Only the first swipe of many, the GINN chased the Blitz around the colony, the latter stuck on evading. It almost resembled a game of tag but in midair with huge robots and dangerous weaponry. It only lasted half a minute but Kira felt like they'd been at it for hours. As another slash missed, Kira noticed a clear shot at the GINN's right side. This was his chance, his chance to finish this battle and save the colony and to ensure Mayu Asuka never fought inside a Gundam. Springing into action, the rocket anchor fired off a line from the Blitz's left forearm on a clear trajectory into the green mobile suit.

Sadly for Kira, the experience of Miguel Aiman allowed him to easily parry. He followed through with a vicious counterattack during the same motion, cleanly severing the cord holding the anchor with a smooth upward slice. He charged once more, swinging the gem sword horizontally. Unlike other assaults, this attack claimed a piece of the enemy. The Blitz's left arm fell to the ground, small bursts of electricity spewed from the mechanical wound.

"You call _that_ an opening? You fuckin' suck!"

"Shit on a kebab!" Kira tried to fall back, but panicked hands accidentally pulled the appropriate lever too far. The Blitz descended further than intended, forming a mobile suit shaped hole on the roof of a building down below. Kira forced his eyes shut and tightly gripped the controls. Various floors and electrical equipment inside were in shambles from a failed attempt at breaking the fall. Movement from the machine didn't stop until it reached ground level, with the Blitz on its stomach buried under a pile of rubble and wrapped in various wires.

_**Never gonna make you cry!  
**__**Never gonna say goodbye!**_

"Owieeee." Kira groaned, opening his eyes. The back of his neck had roughly smacked against the seat during the plunge, a painful reminder he wasn't equipped or accustomed for this thing and why mobile suits pilots typically wore helmets inside their machines. As the mobile suit laid on its stomach, it occurred to him that only the seat belts stopped him from kissing cockpit doors, though his current position left him feeling disoriented. He slightly adjusted the Blitz to kneel upright before taking in the scenery. The place he dropped into was practically totaled. Broken monitors, keyboards, desks, cabinets, personal photos and various files and papers were scattered across the ground. With this destruction, he couldn't even guess the building's purpose. Regardless, he'd send them a bill after everything was over, alongside a box of cookies and a cute little stuffed animal. Problem solved, his focus returned to the current crisis. He glanced at the sensors, indicating his enemy remained put. It looked like the GINN cared nothing for pursuing him inside. He breathed easy for the first time since Miguel opened fire.

_**Never gonna give you up,  
**__**Never gonna let you down!**_

"Well there's something to do." In this brief lapse from the fighting, he may as well answer the constantly ringing phone that bounced around throughout the fight, not to mention using the allotted time for adjusting to this neck injury. Despite the activity, the device remained intact. Nestled at his foot, Kira released his safety belts to pick it up. He flipped it open and saw four new text messages, all from Mayu Asuka. They were read in chronological order.

_You herd me right? I bet yer supr shokkd _

_kira answer me now_

_yer mean & stupid_

_please be ok _

His response came quick, informing Mayu of his current safety and to stay put … and not to bother wiping her tears since he would lick them off personally.

_**Never gonna give you up,  
Never gonna let you down!**_

Kira laughed at the predicted reply.

_Die fucker just die already_

'_Shinn's with her alright.'_ Amusedly he shook his head. Someday Shinn would get it. Until then, he and Mayu would continue their fun at his expense. All kidding aside, he felt glad Mayu wasn't operating dangerous machinery like a mobile suit on her own.

"Now to get out of my own Gundam jam." Kira ran a diagnostic to inspect the remaining equipment. Besides the anchor and arm missing outside, the Trikeros system was fully operational. Furthermore, the Blitz still had an ample amount of power. Overall, plenty of fight left in it.

With that in mind, thoughts drifted to his opponent. To the GINN and its skilled pilot. According to the man's slip of tongue, the mobile suit had little left in terms of ammunition, but Kira learned the hard way that he could swing a mean melee weapon. "I'm gonna have to keep away from him but close enough to blast one of his lungs. Attack now with the advantage of surprise. Once he notices me I'm screwed, and not in the good way when Van does it." He felt a pang in his chest, thinking of the Natural male who often shared his bed. "After all this, I will kiss him _so_ hard he won't be able to stand anymore. Same with Setona."

Shaking his head vigorously, Kira took a deep breath. It was now or never. It was do or die. He had to strike first and fast and hard. He had to put a beam through the ZAFT mobile suit before it reached the Blitz. He had to destroy it in a matter of seconds. The Gundam went from a nonthreatening position to a combative one. Beam rifle pointed at the wall in Miguel's direction, he almost pulled the trigger before sensors picked up an object approaching his location. A sharp intake of breath came from Kira as the Blitz recognized the source: ZGMF-1017 GINN.

Another one.

'_That's why he didn't attack. Piece of crap was calling reinforcements!'_ Earlier fear returned with a vengeance. The GINN from before kicked his ass, and now another would join the fight? He'd no idea of what kind of numbers the ZAFT invaders brought to the colony. To his knowledge, this extra GINN could be the first among many to provide backup. Previous planning went out the window. Once he exited the ruined building, his life would be in their hands. Somehow he wasn't expecting to receive any mercy. His entire body shook and he could feel his expensive purple suit dampening with sweat. This was it, he felt. His life would end here, caught in the crossfire when stumbling across the Sahaku's secret. Eyes closed tightly with his head down. _'Why did my nosy ass have to care about what Mina said? Why couldn't I have stayed in my room and watched _Desperate Housewives_? Preferably with Vanfeldt so I can watch him pretend not to love it and subsequently tease the crap out of him. Why did I have to get Kisaka involved in this crap, although he's probably okay since he's awesome. Why did I-'_

"Pilot of X207 Blitz, please respond. Identify yourself."

"What the?" Kira asked, eyes reopened. He'd apparently established communications with someone. Pressing the button to accept, the face of an adult woman appeared on screen. She seemed no older than thirty with brown eyes and long black hair tied in a ponytail.

"I'm Kira Nara Athha, prince of Orb, and that … and that's pretty much it." It felt odd introducing himself without someone else nearby, without providing someone an incredibly dumb alias. "I'm gonna hate myself for saying this, but if you're looking for a date I'm a little busy at the moment. Just wait until _after_ these ZAFT guys are trying to literally turn me into a human hacky sack."

A deep sigh came from the other end. "Don't be an idiot. While I'm skeptical about your identity, you clearly aren't with ZAFT and I don't want them capturing that machine, so we're going to have to assist each other."

Kira rubbed his neck, simultaneously giving it a light scratch. If nothing else, the conversation did a good job in decreasing his fear. "Not about to argue with help. Um … who are you anyway?"

"This is Lieutenant Rena Imelia of the Earth Alliance Forces."

'_So the Earth Forces were involved in this?'_ On closer inspection, she appeared to wear the white uniform of those serving the alliance. Her revelation raised so many questions Kira didn't even want to begin contemplating them. He did however, recognize the name. Rena Imelia, one of the only Naturals in history capable of operating a Coordinator's mobile suit. Using a captured GINN, she fought for the Earth Forces and earned the nickname Sakura Burst. Even among Coordinators, she was considered among the best of the best, an ace pilot among ace pilots.

"Well that's … not quite what I expected." He cleared his throat. "Anyway … what now Rena?"

She narrowed her eyes but refrained from commenting on being addressed by her first name. "I was watching you earlier, and I don't understand why you didn't use Phase Shift."

"Use what?" He asked, confusion written all over his face.

She blinked. "Phase Shift Armor. The special defense placed on all the G-weapons. It's strong against everything that GINN was using." She would've continued, but seeing Kira repeatedly bash his head into the keyboard gave her pause.

Five seconds later.

"Are you done?" She asked.

Smash. Smash. Smash. Smash.

Her head shook at his antics.

Five more seconds.

"Could you stop now and put the Blitz to better use? It's not like this colony is under attack and you're inside one of the machines sought by the enemy or anything."

Smash. Smash. Smash. Smash.

Five more seconds.

Rena's fist clenched. Her arms shook with rage.

Smash. Smash. Smash. Smash.

Five more seconds.

"Enough!" She roared. "So you made a mistake, big _damn deal_! Get over it! This wasn't the first time and it won't be the last! You want to know why? Because we'll get out of here alive! And I won't let your whining get us killed! Is. That. Clear!"

Kira sharply looked up, a couple button-shaped marks on his forehead. He appeared to be in awe. "Rena … that was _so hot_."

"I want to _punch you_." She growled.

"Punish?" He smiled. "My point stands just as strong."

She sighed again, pinching her nose in irritation. "Just … just press the god damn Phase Shift." Rena felt drained dealing with this kid. It was like all the worst attributes of her five rowdy students fused together into its own sentient creature. This Kira Nara Athha easily reminded her why she taught adults instead of small children.

Shrugging, Kira pressed the appropriate button and the Blitz's outer appearance seemed far more menacing. Its original grey color shifted to another. Black consumed the machine with various red trimmings and yellow horns.

"One more thing." Rena called out. She waited until having his attention. "Phase Shift puts a real strain on your battery, so keep a close eye on your energy levels."

"Really? Guess it had to have some drawback." He didn't dwell on the subject, returning to the frontlines. This time his fear had subsided and his feelings were on the opposite end of the spectrum. He shot the Blitz through the roof with confidence.

"Matthew now!"

Once the Blitz showed visibility, 76mm bullets sprayed in its direction. Kira veered the Gundam left. Phase Shift or not, his diet was against eating machine gun fire. Another GINN swooped in for close combat, heavy sword raised and ready to strike. Instead of panicking and running, Kira stood his ground, the Gundam's beam rifle pointed directly at the ZAFT mobile suit. The GINN pilot's sharp reflexes alone prevented the machine's destruction, narrowly avoiding a blast of green particle beams that shattered the side of a building a kilometer away.

"Holy shit!" Miguel yelled. He hadn't noticed the machine's intimidating change in color scheme until then. "Watch out Matthew! This thing's different now!"

The GINN's halted their advance. Each pilot waited for someone else to make a move. Matthew kept the rifle pointed at the Blitz while Miguel observed its every inch in wait for the perfect chance to attack. Kira gulped, maintaining an eye on the two while viewing the area to spot possible civilians he'd have to avoid. His brief impromptu search yielded results. A group of teenagers around his age ran for their lives near the structure he recently shot. Three guys and a girl. He felt the need to say something, anything to help them through this chaotic situation. The Blitz flashed the teens a mechanical thumbs up though the bulky Trikeros prevented them from seeing it.

"Orb civilians! Stay calm and don't panic! Um …" he tried thinking of something appropriate, something clever and helpful in a jam. What did Kisaka tell him the other day when he tried to help Setona in the kitchen? "The best way out of these sort of things is to stop, drop and roll! Otherwise I've got this."

Among the group Tolle Koenig's shout of "How the _fuck_ does that help us at all?" and Miriallia's "Stop being an idiot Kuzzey! Get up!" were too far away for him to hear.

Smacking palm against forehead, Kira shook his head at his own absurd advice. "Okay. Kira's advice shop is closed. Now time for a question: Have you ever seen a handsome man save a colony before?" The Blitz's Trikeros aimed towards Miguel's GINN on his right side. "Because you're about to."

"Alright I've had enough of your bullshit! Matthew cover me!" Miguel exclaimed, GINN launching into an offensive charge.

As Matthew opened fire, Kira changed his mind. He'd done almost nothing but dodging all fight. Placing his trust in Rena Imelia, the Blitz stood still. 76mm bullets proved no match against Phase Shift, ricocheting from the Gundam with tiny explosions leaving no damage. Matthew and Miguel could hardly control their shock. A mobile suit impervious to their guns was unthinkable. Utilizing the surprise advantage, Kira went on the attack. Instead of the usual beam fire Miguel likely expected, he went with another option: the trio of lancer darts below. Each one fired from the Trikeros and the stunned pilot could only avoid one. The others tagged the GINN, a dart severing the right knee and the other making a direct thrust through the cockpit. Miguel Aiman died before fully understanding what happened.

"Miguel!" Bullets ineffective, an enraged Matthew stayed in denial. Opting for duel weaponry, the GINN's free hand withdrew its heavy sword. Thrusters set to maximum output, it zoomed towards the Blitz, its machine gun firing the entire way. Weapon raised overhead, the distance was almost close enough to swing the blade. "Have some of this Earth trash!"

Trikeros pointed towards the other GINN, Kira went back to the beam rifle. The Blitz's index finger pulled the trigger twice. Green particle beams blasted through the GINN, the mobile suit spiraled to the ground before exploding in a violent mess of enflamed pieces.

"Sweet archers of Nottingham! This Phase Shift is better than pizza! _And_ Bowser's chain chomp! Together!" He exclaimed.

"Good work." Rena's voice went through the speakers. "I'm inside one of the nearby mobile suits. When you see it rising, please don't open fire. We'll need to discuss our next course of action so go ahead and turn off the Phase Shift."

Kira complied, easily understanding the need to conserve energy in these circumstances. With the anxiety and adrenaline of battle dying down, his neck pain returned and he absentmindedly rubbed the spot. More than physical pain, he could feel a twist in his stomach as he looked around the factory district. Whether it was buildings or roads or grass patches, cars or tanks and now mobile suits, nothing came out of this attack completely unscathed.

And all for a couple of mobile suits.

Mobile suits utilizing _his_ O.S.

A deep breath was taken, one filled with bitterness and relief. Now wasn't the time for guilt, instead feeling glad he survived. All he could do now was hope. Hope he'd seen the last of the GINNs and could put this fighting behind him. He did his best to ignore the very real fact that two lives ended today because of him. For all his talk, Kira Nara Athha cared little for fighting, refusing most mobile suit training while he constructed his O.S. The demons that came with killing another was a battle he would like to postpone until around someone trustworthy and out of such a dangerous situation.

From behind, a mechanical sound grabbed his attention. Turning around, another Gundam had risen from the ground, one identified as GAT-X103 Buster. It looked plain compared to the Blitz, lacking Trikeros fighting system and the badass appearance via Phase Shift. A pack rested on its back with a large gun securely placed at each side, behind the machine's shoulders. The projectile weapons weren't the same though. One seemed to be a high energy beam rifle and the other a 350mm gun launcher. Of the gun's, the latter slid from its position to a perfectly tight grip in the Gundam's hands. The wide weapon pointed directly at the Blitz.

"You'll pay for killing Matthew and Miguel!" A voice roared, masculine and full of anger. No more words, the trigger was pulled.

Scrambling, Kira barely activated PS Armor and lifted the Trikeros shield on time. Even so, the Blitz was knocked off its feet from the gun launcher's sheer force. Thrusters powered before hitting the ground, dodging a second blast that scorched the entire spot where the black mobile suit stood a second ago. The Buster packed some serious heat.

Within the machine, Yzak Joule could feel his fury growing. Consuming him, he was too enraged to activate Phase Shift … and too enraged to remember the other person on the transmission.

"Don't move." A beam rifle pressed itself against the Buster's back. As Yzak turned around, his camera showed the offender as another mobile suit, the GAT-X102 Duel. Like the Blitz, it begun changing color, from completely gray to primarily silver with blue trimmings on the machine's chest, forehead and shoulders, on its wrists and knees and feet. A slight orange was painted on its exhaust and forehead. The shield at its side had similar colors, blue with orange trimmings.

"What the _hell_?" He didn't even notice the Duel rising from the ground. With both mobile suits as enemies, Yzak knew sudden moves wouldn't end well. Sweat trickling down his brow, the soldier inside the Buster took extra time to configure the machine with shaky hands and one eye open to the battlefield.

Rena Imelia narrowed her eyes. "Drop your weapon or I will shoot."

"Er … huh? Rena?" Kira seemed baffled at the whole thing. "It'd be awesome if someone could clue me in here. What happened?"

"You killed my friends you piece of shit!" Yzak yelled, almost frothing at the mouth.

"Anyone but you." Kira clarified.

Rena shook her head. "This ZAFT pilot must have slipped into the Buster during our conversation. Most likely when you were head-butting the controls like an idiot. When I started rising, I devoted all concentration to apprehending him and forgot to inform you of the situation. I'm sorry."

"Oh. That makes sense." The prince started popping bones in his fingers.

"I'll only say it once more. Drop. Your. Weapon." Rena's attention returned to her enemy.

Yzak teeth grinded as he complied. The Buster's fingers opened up, and the gun launcher crashed into the ground, its impact causing the formation of a wide crack. _'At least I still have the rifle. Once her guard drops ….'_

"Good." The Duel's free hand went to the other gun on the Buster, connected to its back behind the right arm. "Now disengage this weapon too."

"Oh come on!" Yzak responded without thinking.

"This is not a debate Coordinator." Pressing the beam rifle directly against the cockpit's rear, Rena's gaze only hardened. "Your only other choice is tasting energy beams up close and personal. If destroying the Buster is the sole option in keeping it out of ZAFT's hands, I won't hesitate."

"God damn it! Alright!" Yzak yelled. A blast from there would certainly incinerate him. He quickly configured the mobile suit, disengaging its other primary weapon, a 94mm high energy beam rifle. Normally it would've automatically moved to the Buster's hand for combat, but the Duel's strong grip ensured it went nowhere. Rena maneuvered her machine, rifle tossed aside and out of Yzak's reach.

Kira watched the scene unfold, impressed with the Sakura Burst.

"I'm glad we're coming to an understanding. Now it's your turn. Keep in mind that the destruction of these mobile suits is far more encompassing than a GINN's so don't even think about activating the self destruct. Open the cockpit and exit the machine slowly. Any heroics will send you to an early grave … hmm?" The incoming of two distinct heat sources stopped her demands. Her eyes widened. _'These are… X105 Strike and 303 Aegis. Some of ours better be inside them.'_

The two Gundams landed in the area, both surrounding the Duel from behind with Phase Shift Armor already activated. On Rena's right was the Strike, a white mobile suit with a blue chest and red stomach and soles. It had a large flight pack attached to its backside. The Aegis stood on the other side, almost entirely coated in salmon pink with a beam rifle at the right hip.

"What's going on here? Yzak? Dearka? Nicol?" The questions came from the Strike.

"Athrun!" Yzak called out, both relieved and pissed off. If he was being rescued, couldn't someone else do it?

Inside the Strike, Athrun pointed the rifle at the Duel.

Rusty followed suit with the Aegis. The five prototype mobile weapons of the Earth Forces found themselves in a tense standoff.

On ground level, the four teenagers never left the scene, huddling near a wrecked car in fear. Tolle and Mirialla held each other for dear life while a horrified Sai couldn't stop shaking.

Kuzzey started rolling on the floor again.

Gritting her teeth, Rena felt control of the situation slipping. From two against one to two against three in ZAFT's favor, and the Strike's equipment only made things worse. _'Just our luck. The day we decide to test the Aile Striker pack and of __course__ this happens.'_

Kira's voice took on a jovial tone. "Greetings to all invaders hailing from the PLANTs. I'm Kira Canoodle, king of Canoodlers and this femme fatale warrior woman in the Duel is my bodyguard … Dorothy Santonio."

"I am not your bodyguard! And don't make up names for me!" Rena hollered. She had no patience for his crap right now.

"Well the offer's still there if you change your mind." Rena was beautiful enough for Kisaka to understand being replaced. _'Probably … well maybe … actually no. No he wouldn't. Ah well. Can't please everyone.'_

Yzak was having none of it. "Bull_shit_! That guy in the Blitz says he's the son of Orb's chief representative and the idiot pointing a gun at me is the fuckin' Sakura Burst!"

Rena's eyes widened. That pilot listened to their transmission longer than she thought.

"You're shitting me!" Rusty exclaimed. "You mean Dearka and Nicol failed?"

"What?" Yzak croaked, failing to understand that until now. He felt a severe hit to the gut. There was no way he heard that right.

Dearka and Nicol failed.

Dearka failed.

Dearka.

A short tempered individual, it took every scrap of Yzak Joule's willpower to restrain himself from making a suicidal charge. His fists curled and teeth grounded together. Eyes forcefully closed shut and his breathing became erratic. He couldn't stop a few tears from pouring down his face.

Kira shrugged, unperturbed. "Yes, yes. I am indeed a full blown prince, and Rena is indeed quite sexy. But that's not the issue here. Before anything else, let's take a second to chillax. No need to do something any of us will regret like … oh I don't know, damage the colony any further."

"That can be arranged." The Strike's pilot spoke. "But your friend has one of our own. Let him go before anything else, then we can get out of here."

"Athrun? Are you sure?" Rusty asked.

"The colony wouldn't have been damaged at all if you weren't helping the Earth Forces." Yzak sharply pointed out.

"Yzak!" Athrun admonished. _'What are you __doing__? You want us to save you or not?'_

Kira rolled his eyes. "Don't be the tennis racket that isn't covered in holes. I didn't even know about Gundams here until today Mr. Weaksauce. Besides, my dad's way too neutral for something like that. It had to have been done by someone else."

"I'm not saucy or weak!" Yzak's fist hit the side.

Everyone ignored him.

"That is a possibility." Athrun calmly pointed out. He needed to keep them talking. An opportunity would present itself given enough time. "But surely you understand that even the most convincing politicians can easily tell a lie if they feel the necessity."

Kira chuckled. "You've never met Uzumi Nara Athha. My dad loves his neutrality, for serious. He breathes it, eats it and sleeps it. If he could piss neutral, he totally would. He thinks neutrons are coolest thing in all of science. Whenever he drives, it's always in neutral. Pain in the ass to go with him anywhere. Maybe that's why he always has drivers-"

"For fucks sake man, we get it already!" Rusty cried.

"Cool it Rusty. We don't want to spook them into doing something fatal." Athrun advised.

Blinking, Kira glanced back and forth at the two mobile suits. "And here I thought those were my words. Honestly I'd do an enticing happy dance if all of you left and never came back. No one else should have to die today."

"Don't give me that crap!" Yzak interjected again. "You already killed Matthew _and_ Miguel!"

"What?" At that, X303's gun switched targets: from Duel to Blitz. Likewise, Kira pointed his mobile suit's beam rifle towards the Aegis.

"They fired at me first. What the hell do you expect I'd do? Take bullets to the face and beg for a second course?" Kira shot back.

"That's …" Rusty started, only to look away.

No one could give a decent response.

Kira took a deep breath.

"Alright everyone, let's calm down. Anyway, getting back to reasons you should leave. To state the obvious: if we keep fighting, Heliopolis will end up ruined." Kira wracked his brain for something else. "And you know destroying the colony will be a political nightmare. Both the Earth Forces and ZAFT want Orb on their side. Call me a crazy ass but I think that destroying our space colony and killing the prince will be a pretty obvious deal breaker for ZAFT. These mobile suits are pretty hardcore right? Imagine what they could be if we aided the Earth Forces without the secrecy and with our full potential? Come to think of it, your friend called you Athrun. That's a hell of an uncommon name, and the only one I know of is Athrun Zala, son of Patrick Zala."

"It figures the prince of Orb could guess that." Athrun muttered, none too pleased for his identity uttered anywhere near an Earth Alliance officer.

Kira grinned. "Well honestly … I probably should know about you from politics, but I actually heard about you since you're engaged to that famous singer who looks a lot like my smokin' hot maid. You're assumption sounds better though, so if someone asks let's stick with that. Sound good?"

Rusty raised an eyebrow. _'Is this guy for real?_'

Despite the situation, Athrun had trouble fighting back a smile. "It sure does." His expression returned to neutral. "I'm sorry but our conditions stay the same. Let go of our comrade and we'll depart in peace. Our mission actually involves getting these mobile suits back to our commander. It really is in our best interest to leave Heliopolis as soon as possible. Just let him go, and we can work something out that's mutually beneficial."

Kira nodded towards the Duel. "Any chance that'll work? I'm not the biggest fan of nobility or politics, but I'd rather get mauled by a bear than endanger my own people."

"No can do. The instant I release him, I'll be shot for sure." Rena shook her head. She directed her attention to the Strike, who seemed to be the leader. "Lower your weapons first and keep them that way until _after_ your friend has exited the G-weapon. I'm sure your commander will accept two instead of three."

"Like we'll actually agree to _that_." Yzak scoffed.

"G-weapons? You call 'em G-weapons? _Really_?" Kira asked in utter disbelief. "They're called Gundams Rena. I've seen the show."

Ignoring Yzak and the prince, Athrun narrowed his eyes. He knew of the Sakura Burst by reputation, and if the rumors held even a speck of truth, he wouldn't be able to shoot the Duel without Yzak dying alongside her.

"Alright. We'll do it," Rusty said. He'd analyzed the mobile suits specs. Aside from a beam rifle, the transformable Aegis had another projectile in its arsenal, one with extreme power. He knew what to do if she tried anything stupid. "You better keep your word."

"Rusty?" Athrun blinked.

"We will?" Yzak felt equally puzzled.

"Let's do it Athrun. We've got no choice." He said.

"Very well. We-" The concession was interrupted by a large explosion from another area in the factory district. Up from the smoke came another pair of mobile suits built in secret.

Kira's eyes widened. Unlike others, these new additions appeared almost completely identical to the M1-Astray. Take away the flight pack and replace the orange with red or blue and telling the difference would be difficult.

Needing no better opportunity, the Buster moved. Its left hand pushed the rifle away in the nick of time, beam whizzed past him and turning an already damaged building to ruin. Yzak followed through with two actions: the activation of Phase Shift Armor and a horizontal kick. The impact of mechanical foot against abdomen pushed the Duel back a couple steps. Finally unleashing bottled up anger, he cared nothing for the lack of guns, opting to control the Buster into tackling the enemy.

Rena narrowed her eyes. With PS Armor on, the Buster's shoulders and chest were green with orange trimmings, while everything below was beige –including the head– and the knees orange. But she cared nothing for its increased defense, launching upwards and avoiding particle beams from both Strike and Aegis, beams that nearly smacked the charging Buster.

_**Never gonna give you up!  
**__**Never gonna let you down!**_

Kira quickly flipped open his phone. An actual call this time, he needn't waste time on reading. "Hey Mayu. Let me guess, you just shot up in the sky with someone else?"

"Yep yep!" She confirmed. "So which Gundams are which?"

Mayu's label of Gundam left him feeling proud. At least someone got it. "Simple answer: Black and blue shoulders: good. The others: bad. Stay back."

"You hear that Shinn?" Mayu made whipping noise, undoubtedly towards her brother. "Sick 'em boy! Bite their noses off!"

"Oh shut up and hold tight!"

Where the red Astray struggled to move, its blue counterpart charged the enemy. Shinn wasted no time before opening fire on the Gundams designated as the "bad guys".

Athrun swerved the Strike away from the blue Astray's beams. He was surprised at their accuracy. "Damn! We have to retreat! There's no telling how many other mobile suits are hiding around here!"

Nodding, Rusty missed another attempt at blasting the Duel. A shot from the Blitz almost tagged him. "I agree."

Yzak growled. "Fine!" An idea formed in his head. "Hey Prince Douchebag! Let's see how important this colony really is to you!" Two orange doors opened on the Buster's shoulders and a volley of six missiles were released from each one. Yzak specifically aimed in the direction opposite of them.

"Shinn! Rena! We gotta stop those things!" Neither one voiced a disagreement. As amateurs, Kira and Shinn needed time to successfully intercept a single missile and felt incredibly grateful for Rena's aid. Her shots were fast and accurate, eliminating the majority solo. Eleven out of twelve missiles exploded in midair, the last making quick work of a sidewalk.

Using the diversion to escape, the mobile suits hightailed it out of there. A look at the ground revealed they'd actually retrieved the Buster's guns along the way.

With ZAFT out of the colony, the situation died down quickly. The Duel and blue Astray landed nearby while the red one would slowly but surely hobble over there.

"Come on Cagalli! We don't have all day!" Shinn hollered at the red mobile suit. Mayu giggled at his side.

"Har har. Real funny. For your own protection, you better stay in that thing and never come out." Cagalli replied, trying her best to move with little success.

Reaching into his coat pocket, Kira retrieved a small notebook and a tiny pen in its wires. After flipping through several pages, he found his list of lifelong goals. He scanned through part of it.

_Build my own underground lair_

_Have a super powerful robot at my disposal_

_Get my own reality show where guys and girls constantly fight over me_

_Have sex at least ten times with transgendered women_

_Pilot a Gundam in real life_

That one got crossed out.

* * *

A/N

I know it's been a long time since the last update, so to make it up to you this one is about twice as long (for me, a chapter over ten thousand words is an absolute monster). I don't suppose I could ask for twice as many reviews? *begs with most adorable and sad little puppy look you've _ever seen_*. All kidding aside, feel free to review about any of it, whether it's good, bad or extremely neutral. I know this is quite different from most SEED fics, so I am very interested in what people have to say.

Ringtone references

Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley – Kira's ringtone. An old song that's more associated nowadays with the Rick Roll meme. For those unaware, it's where you post a link with a description, but instead of actually going there, you direct people to this song.

Blue by Eiffel 65 – Mayu's ringtone.


End file.
